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Reviewed by Darryl Baser

Yor Cronies: Whaling For Friends EP

Reviewed by Darryl Baser

Yor Cronies: Whaling For Friends EP

Everything about Yor Cronies‘ second release screams homage to the great DIY ethic that saw the proliferation of bands from Dunedin in the late 1970s and ’80s. The band’s logo, an image of a chap on a penny-farthing, appears individually handprinted onto the recycled cardboard slip case that holds the burnt CD, onto which the band’s name and the EP’s title have been hand-written.

That’s appearance, but how does it sound? Like a well mastered practice room recording, raw and rough, but with every word legible above slabs of strummed acoustic guitar, while the drums sound like they’re being picked up by the vocal mic. The five song EP was recorded in an Aro Valley lounge by James Carroll and is an energetic, upbeat release of great music to drive to. The band say it was inspired by a Modest Mouse’s hand drawn King Rat video. With song titles like Everyone Is Satan Including Me and All My Friends Are Dead, the lyrics are cynical witty, jaded and urbane. According to their Bandcamp site, Yor Cronies made 50 copies in an afternoon. They should set about making some more I say.