BARBARAS
REVIEWS!

LA TIMES
SOUNDBOARD :
The Barbaras is the latest band to grace Memphis’ premiere garage rock label, Goner Records. Their debut three-song 7-inch EP, which defies conventional categorization, is a beautiful little slice of lo-fi pop that exits your speakers like sunshine and honey mixed together on an August afternoon.

What’s the recipe? A twist of soul, a squeeze of ’50s falsetto, a dash of warm and fuzzy production value and a jigger of joyful bubblegum sensibility, shake it up and pour it in your ears. The effect is better than a vodka lemon drop.

Featuring members of Jay Reatard’s backup band as well as members of Memphis psych-folk act Kazalok and garage-punks Boston Chinks, the Barbaras is a seasoned act worth keeping an eye on. The songs are not only well-crafted but also free and easy, mixing influences as diverse as Del Shannon and the 1910 Fruitgum Company for an effect that is distinctly fresh and modern as well as old and wise.

– Jason Gelt