Decibel Trust

Self-Titled

Self-Released

Street: 11.05.13

Decibel Trust = Barenaked Ladies + American Idiot–era Green Day

After I listened to this, I put on old-school They Might be Giants. Why? One, because they’re fuckin’ rad, and two, because Decibel Trust sound like what you’d get if you heard John Flansburgh singing New Found Glory songs at a karaoke bar. Decibel make decent use of chunky power chords à la every pop-punk band ever, along with somewhat catchy melodies let loose in a geeky and nasally voice, but instead of getting fun tunes about incandescent gas like with TMBG, you get “Heroin Heather,” which isn’t quite as dark as you’d think, and “Hookers Give Lousy Backrubs,” which isn’t as funny as you’d think (plus it’s a lie—these guys should speak with their pimp). The band is upbeat and probably great if you’re not picky about your alt-pop, but there’s plenty of room for growth and experimentation. For now, toss on TMBG’s Lincoln and pretend this never happened. –CJ Morgan