Sometimes, ordinary is ok. Really. In many respects, Exit Verse’s eponymous debut is ordinary, in a good way. Let’s unpack this a bit. Back in the 90s, the US was teeming with guitar-based alt-rock bands. Drawing on blues, country and indie, they dealt in straight ahead songs. It wasn’t about crunching riffs or being hard, but nor were they jangly or fay. At the helm of Karate, Geoff Farina was a key exponent of the 90s scene. After a few quiet years with occasional side projects and solo activities, Farina hooked up with drummer John Dugan and bassist Peter Croke, and emerged in 2013 as Exit Verse. Theirs is a sound that certainly sounds to be of a certain vintage – but what was ordinary 20 years ago is less common now, and consequently, their song-focused approach
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‘Perfect Hair’ sounds like Pavement playing Status Quo,a nd it;s not the only occasion on whichthey give more than a nod to established old-fashioned rock traditions. Again,. that’s cool, because they do it well, and when ‘Fiddle & Flame’ finds them rocking out good and proper it’s hard not to tap your foot and buy into the whole deal.
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