For a born-and-bred West Coaster like me, Connecticut reminds me of women in Loro Piana cashmere sweaters driving in Range Rovers and summering wherever people do that kind of shit. Thankfully, New Haven’s Estrogen Highs are decidedly not stiffled and sheathed in beautiful fabrics. In fact, they’re pretty much covered in dirt and ripped jeans and all that shit being in a garage band entails.
Estrogen Highs are more of a less-is-more band – sure there’s scuzz and fuzz and all that shit, but it’s decidedly ‘minimalist’ take on my favorite genre. ‘Alley Man’ is a really rad cut off of their second album (you can find out more below) that I’ve been playing on repeat recently. I’ve read comparisons to Tyvek and I agree, but I hear a little bit of Demon’s Claws in there too, and maybe a little Wounded Lion, but who knows. I never say that kind of shit, but if you like that, I’m pretty sure you’re going to like this: it’s all twanging guitars and just the teeniest touch of surf, straying on the dark side mixed up together. In a nut-shell: I’m loving it. Their old stuff is worth checking out, too, ‘Age of Romantics’ darts into Black Lips territory, and revisits a little surf riff with a heavier hand than on the new cut, but it still is catchy as fuck and really well written.
The band are releasing their second LP, Friends and Relatives, via Gramery Records very soon, and if I were you, I’d head over and pick up your pre-order copy. Estrogen Highs are going on tour in early 2011 and you can find all those (except an LA date, what is up with that) dates below:
1/1 New Brunswick, NJ House Show
1/2 Charlottle, NC TBA
1/3 Chapel Hill, NC Nightlight Club
1/4 Atlanta, GA 529
1/5 Orlando, FL TBA
1/6 New Orleans, LA 2227 St. Claude
1/7 Houston, TX Super Happy Fun Land
1/8 Denton, TX Rubber Gloves Rehearsal Studios
1/9 Austin, TX TBA
1/10 Las Cruces, NM The Trainyard
1/11 Phoenix, AZ Sound Kontrol
1/12 San Diego, CA Soda Bar
1/13 Long Beach, CA The Prospector
1/14 San Francisco, CA TBA
1/15 Oakland, CA TBA
1/16 Sacramento, CA TBA
1/17 Portland, OR East End
1/18 Olympia, WA TBA
1/19 Vancouver, BC Astoria
1/20 Seattle, WA TBA
1/21 Off
1/22 Minneapolis, MN Hexagon Bar
1/23 Des Moines, IA TBA
1/24 Milwaukee, WI Ground Zero
1/25 Chicago, IL Empty Bottle
1/26 Detroit, MI Magic Stick
1/27 Ft. Wayne, IN Brass Rail
1/28 Columbus, OH Carabar
1/29 Brooklyn, NY Tommy’s Tavern
mp3 | Estrogen Highs – Alley Man
Tags: estrogen highs
