A project in motion since 2021, the band finalized Reliable Brake Service with an electric release show held at the Old Rock House in St. Louis on July 25.
The first song, “Rumble,” introduces the EP with background conversational chatting and an immediate, slightly funky drum beat. The club-y, alt-pop tune lends a smoothness to its energy but doesn’t get up in your face.
Dealing with some kind of pent-up intensity, the chorus sings out, “Oh my god, I’m so alive. Oh my god, am I dying? Oh my god, I can’t describe,” before asking “Is that rumble what you needed?” with clean, sweeping vocals.
Tight instrumental breaks display Jesus Christ Supercar’s disco and glam-pop influences with appearances of keyboard runs, electronic features and bop-y guitar. The track aptly ends with a repetition of, “I rumble where I’m needed,” completing earlier sentiments of the lyrics.
“There is a fragile boldness to ‘Rumble,’” said Tom Blood, drummer of the three-man band. “It’s without a doubt the most direct disco driver on the EP.”
Disco is only one of Jesus Christ Supercar’s influences for Reliable Brake Service. Collin McCabe, bass player and co-lead vocalist, said other genres that inspire him as a musician include ’60s mod-era power pop and soul, early hip-hop, and modern garage and stoner rock. “I love incorporating little elements of all these things, whether it’s certain beats, or lyrical flows, or finding that little melody that gets stuck in your head, but then adding that little spice of maybe-too-much fuzz on top.”
The infectious high energy of “French Girls” allows for the good kind of cliché that comes with the imagery that the lyrics bring: a vintage film French woman smoking a cigarette and drinking champagne at the local cafe.
The fun, almost unusual sounds of indie-pop guitars complements the backing, robotic vocals in the chorus. Sounding both like a coming-of-age song and an anti-coming-of-age song, this second track brings lively high-hat moments and piano notes that remind the listener of a theremin, of all things.
“Obviously, we’ve worked hard to develop our own sound, and of course there are variations and deviations [to our sound],” said guitar player and co-lead vocalist Christopher Bachmann.
He said that what helped them with this particular EP was that these songs were written together as a group. “They weren’t presented by one person, then morphed into anything. They didn’t exist, and we pulled them into creation.”
Jesus Christ Supercar collaborated with Austin-based and Last Gang Records artist Mobley as producer of Reliable Brake Service, as well as supplier of its keyboards and additional instruments.
“Working with Mobley was the cherry on top, because he took what we had and added another level that honored the uniqueness of the songs, while also adding a modern pop element that made them even more cohesive,” Bachmann said.
If you thought “French Girls” was indie-sleaze, “Rayguns” greases it up even further with classic alt-rock repetition. A clearly galactic-inspired track, the EP ends with an excellent employing of high, trickling piano notes and interesting changes of tempo, all in front of a background of a clean rock tune. With use of voice modulation, the mechanized, sci-fi tone of the piece increases.
The fuzz-pop signature of Jesus Christ Supercar carries throughout “Rayguns” as well as the other two songs. “I’ll never stop being grateful for how we burst out of the gate with vision and purpose, knowing very close to exactly the type of music we wanted to make,” Blood said.
All three members expressed gratitude and enthusiasm about being a part of the St. Louis local music scene. “There’s something here [in St. Louis] for everyone, and we have the privilege of getting to be a part of that,” McCabe said. “There’s nowhere to go but up. Don’t look back. Fuzz forever.”
Photos: Cory Weaver