Boasting accomplished acts like The Mistreaters, Jaill, The Delphines, The Goodnight Loving, and so many more, Milwaukee’s semi-recent garage rock history is quite impressive. Currently, the city’s garage rock torch is being carried by none other than Static Eyes. Since adding bassist Lindsay DeGroot—a former member of The Olives and currently part of Fox Face—into the mix in 2015, the quartet set out to write an entirely new catalog.
With a new batch of songs in tow, Static Eyes have played out more than ever, they’ve dabbled in touring, and have recorded much of that new and improved material. Back in March, the band put out The Thaw, a 7-inch that marked the first Static Eyes release since a 2013 split with Drugs Dragons. Now, just shy of six months after they put out that three-song record, Milwaukee’s premier garage rock outfit is back with Traps, a scorching six-pack of blistering compositions the band will release on cassette as part of this weekend’s Triple Eye Industries Fest 2.
Recorded to two-inch tape at Kyle “Motor” Urban’s Madison-based MotorCo Studios, Static Eyes’ second release of 2017 pulls no punches, takes no prisoners, and cuts right to the chase. The ironically-named opener, “Silencer,” brings about the first of many dirty licks from guitarist Chopper Choida and washy beats provided by Lydia Choida, before both relent to the ever-abrasive screams of front man Lee Olson that continue on to “Dahmer Faced Dog” and persist through the duration of the record. The raucous recording culminates in the throat- and guitar-shredding single and all-around EP highlight “Close Talker.”
At a scant 13 minutes (actually, a few ticks short of that), Traps—fittingly—holds listeners captive through the entirety of six raw and rowdy offerings that do Static Eyes’ Milwaukee garage rock forefathers proud, while simultaneously striking out into encouraging and uncharted territory. Before you pre-order it or buy one of the 100 cassettes in existence during the band’s August 25 Cactus Club show as part of Triple Eye Industries Festival 2, listen to Traps now, only at Milwaukee Record.