This Danbury, CT, trio is one of the better new entries in the East Coast indie pop soapbox race. On the Loser Friendly EP, highlighted by a rough-and-ready cover of
Blondie's 1978
Plastic Letters single "(I'm Always Touched by Your) Presence, Dear" (somebody blew it: it says on the CD all songs copyright 1992, and there's no Stein/
Harry songwriting credit, which implies
Monsterland wrote it; that's pretty criminal), and on the
Destroy What You Love LP (similarly accented by a cover of more recent vintage, New Zealanders
Bailter Space's "Fish Eye"), there are no fresh tricks, but they do mix thick, angry (almost
Swervedriver-ish) guitar lashes with post-
Hüsker Dü-ish loud pop songs. The twin vocals sound particularly Minneapolis-made, like vintage
Grant Hart, or a little
Soul Asylum circa that period (1983-1986) when they actually cranked with spirit; one pal o' mine suggests
Mega City Four, too.
Monsterland rock, they perspire, the guitars are barbarous, and the band can play. If you're not tired of this style, they can be a real cun-ten-dah. ~ Jack Rabid