The outrageous rawness of garage punk has always lent itself to gimmicks. But just because you incorporate a bit of stage antics into the routine doesn’t mean the music can’t carry weight on its own merit.
Take for example The Dead Coats, forged by Lauren Warmer in Baltimore a decade back before moving to Austin in 2017. Once they re-tailored themselves into a quartet, The Dead Coats cranked out two fantastically-callous EPs towards the end of the 2010s. And just before the pandemic put a damper on the whole “Live Music Capital of the World” thing, The Dead Coats donned some oddly-prescient dress at Kickbutt Coffee – as nurses that transported Warmer’s living corpse onstage via bodybag.
The following March The Dead Coats really caught ears with their debut full-length Big Wish, a record that earned them a sold out show at Empire, plus an Austin Music Award for “Best Rock Act” in 2022, and an induction into Austin Music Foundation’s 2023 Development Class. Since then we’ve just been counting the seconds until another new single; an era of anticipation that ended this morning.
With the release of “Reach”, The Dead Coats kicks off the weekend 10PM tonight at The Far Out Lounge for the Virgo Zodiac Party. Doors are at 7, Shelly Webster starts it off at 8, followed by Moon Fuzz at 9, and Pinky Rings close it down at 11. But if Far Out Lounge is a just bit out of reach, you can still get riled up wherever you want in three minutes flat. An instant riot from its first guitar riff to its final chord sustain, “Reach” shrieks and shreds with a wailing vocal performance, pulsing power chords and bass accompaniment, gripping percussion fills, and a much-appreciated change of pace thanks to a half-time breakdown in its bridge. It’s the pinnacle of punk rock, plain and simple.
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