L.A. Exes-Get Some

They have the name, but do they have the sound? This debut by L.A. Exes was under consideration to be on my short list of 5 favorites from 2021. While it narrowly missed the cut as it initially confounded me on what it was trying to be, there were certainly alluring elements, namely the melodies, which called out for further exploration. My initial positive reaction to the catchiness was countered by the songwriting which slants towards the slight and self-absorbed side. The lyrics reminded me of Weezer's Rivers Cuomo or Beth Cosentino of Best Coast trying too hard to evoke whatever they consider California cool and formulating a 21st-century hit.  While patience is not really a virtue when it comes to the immediacy of power pop, the second half of “Get Some” will reward steadfast listeners with some of the catchiest melodies heard in this decade.

This debut seems to be split in two parts. Further listens revealed that the queer quartet seemingly has the dualistic quality of being in the Beatles in reverse as first five songs take their hues from the overburdened Beatles of 1967-1970 with some fragility of Big Star, while the second side is immersed in the exuberance and excitement of the 1962-1966 Beatles. In fact, their calling card single "Temporary Goodbye'' is the best sideways rewrite of "Do You Want to Know a Secret."

 
While casting out these hummable 2-3 minute pop songs, L.A. Exes operate in the greater context of the dreams, despair and delusions that swirl about in the charged air of the real and imagined sprawling Southern California. Playing up coastal cool and insouciance, they exude the seemingly competing qualities of certainty and capriciousness which seemingly still coexists within the golden kids along the golden coast. Additionally, the outfit displays a musical competence and confidence that were once instant draws for the major labels. 

Ironically, a distinguishing aspect of the talented group is that it is comprised of professional musicians who are already industry insiders or had an inside track (see also: that dog, the Like).  One of the Exes (Jenny Owen Youngs) co-wrote what I call the "Spidey rock" of "High Hopes” in which you don’t need any “Spidey-sense” to detect a similar feel in “West Keys.” It should also be noted that “Get Some” was produced by consummate pro Jake Sinclair (Panic! at the Disco and Weezer’s White Album, their best album in 20 years) and released on his Black Rainbow label.



With touches of ‘70s power-pop a la the Nerves, the radiant and rad “Baby Let’s Pretend” would also not sound out of place on a Muffs album. The crackling “I Got Half a Mind uncoils itself with flamenco flourishes before stepping onto the carousel for one of the best uses of waltz time since “Les Bicyclettes de Belsize.” There’s also an unbounded show tune aspect in the aforementioned anthemic “Temporary Goodbye'' that makes it sparkle and shine. Bolstered by the requisite abundant girl group harmonies, “Not Again” is their take on the Shangri-Las by way of the Detroit Cobras along with the specter of Amy Winehouse on the periphery.

By its very nature, pop music is obviously not predisposed to offering multifaceted insights on say The Diamond Sutra. Still, it does not have to be as one dimensional or dualistic when it comes to songwriting. Hopefully, they will integrate additional layers of finesse in their subsequent efforts, while conveying a wider variety of life influences to match up with their melodic strengths. Perhaps they can aim somewhere in the vicinity of the SFTRI sound of yore and between the Excessories and the Beards (side project of Lisa Marr (cub) and Kim Shattuck (the Muffs) or the current sounds of Peach Kelli Pop if we are getting specific. Then again these are my preconceived ideas of what their sound should be. Besides, I’m not the intended audience and have not stepped foot in Silver Lake or Echo Park since 2007.

 
L.A. was once a stronghold for this type of brisk pop with stacked harmonies that seemed to permeate the air. If certain people (Phil Spector, David Geffen, Kim Fowley anyone?) and pieces (L.A. Record, SFTRI, Teenacide Records) were still in place in the industry or at its margins, I could see this debut album (with a pleasant cover of "Linger" tacked on) being big in the contemporary realm & current marketplace of sync licensing. Yet, the scrappy mid-fi production, which immediately impressed me, might regulate this album to the cracks in the internet (which can be a good thing) only to be later rediscovered, reappraised and appreciated. For now, the group's harmonies and melodies express the inspiration that can still be felt upon landing in Los Angeles.