Garage rock revival works best when it’s loud and trashy, which is exactly what you get with the latest release from Sean Gospel & the Nightstalkers, Unbeliever Boogie. It’s the standout track on the 4 song EP is “Get Sick,” a tune that makes a case for rock & roll, and does so in just under 3 minutes.
Without any notice, save for the four clicks of the time-honored drumstick count in, the song jumps straight into the chorus refrain. Sean Gospels reverb drenched vocals vie for attention amidst the fuzz laden guitar, sounding like it’s coming out of an amp that is just about ready to blow out. The drums give the rest of the instrumentation a run for their money as well, with the pounding kick and beating snare turned up to the maximum permissible volume.
The roar of the vintage tone guitar doesn’t even dip in intensity for the verse, opting to keep the same energy level at a constant from the first measure to the last. The commanding drums, on the other hand take a back seat for a short bridge section in the middle of the song, pulsing on the toms until the final rallying cry of the ending chorus.
The song sounds like The Seeds were all bitten by zombies, and after turning into a group of unholy dead, picked their instruments back up and played something darker and sludgier than they could have done as living beings. It has a tone most appropriate for getting very drunk in leather jackets and would be the perfect thing to come on in whatever dive or bar arcade you happen to be pounding canned beers in. (And just about the last thing you’d want to play the morning after).
