Toy

Personnel: Tom Gougall (vocals, guitar); Charlie Salvidge (vocals, drums); Maxim Barron (vocals); Dominic O'Dair (guitars); Alejandra Diez (synthesizer).
Audio Mixer: Dan Carey.
Photographer: Steve Gullick .
After hearing TOY's self-titled debut, it's not surprising that the band has ties to S.C.U.M. and especially the Horrors, since at several points this album sounds like a rougher version of that band's breakthrough, Primary Colours. All three of these groups mix shoegaze, Krautrock, and psych-rock in a hypnotically swirled blend, but TOY sounds like the scrappier kid brothers and sisters to those more established bands -- in a good way, mostly. At their best, TOY churn out trippy yet aerodynamic rock like the previous single "Colours Running Out," which, with its zooming guitars and putdown lyrics like "I'm all you ever talk about," has the kind of snotty attitude that launched many a garage/psych-punk hit back in the '60s. "Dead & Gone" is another too-cool-for-school winner that chugs along on a subtle motorik groove before heading for the stratosphere. Interestingly, unlike many of their contemporaries, TOY do expansive jams like the ten-minute album closer, "Kopter," really well. Several of TOY's best moments happen when the band manages to balance its conflicting impulses, as on the equally weird and catchy "Make It Mine" or "Motoring," another previous single that captures the energy of the group's more expansive tracks in a more traditional structure without feeling too constrained. While TOY need to focus more, there's enough potential here to ensure that they have plenty to choose from. ~ Heather Phares