Abusive yet pretty

11 MP3 Songs
ROCK: Modern Rock, ROCK: Punk



Details:
Described as "sweetly ferocious" by the Boston Globe, Reverse has gained increasing notoriety in the Boston area since releasing its debut EP Five Songs in 2000. The self-produced recording earned the band a Maxie Award from the Noise magazine for Best CD of 2000 and a Boston Music Award nomination for Best New Band on an Indie Label. The band's full-length CD The Jersey Switch was released in June, 2002.




"In Boston's Reverse, we may just have the first great power trio of the 21st century."

- Brian Westbye, The Noise



"There are about 6000 bands on the radio right this second who wish they were a fraction as cool as Reverse, and most of Âem couldn't pack as many ideas into an album as these guys do into five tunes. Let this serve as a primer for all those aspiring Rawk Gawds. It works for the very reason that it doesn't sound like it's trying to crack a specific market. It's ABOVE that in every way. It's smarter, catchier, and more original than all the bands trying to sound like this, yet it's thoroughly uncontrived. It somehow marries indie and "arena alt" sensibilities without exploiting either one. It's tough as steel, friendly as fuck, and natural as rain. I won't run down the influences, but some of it's so instantly memorable, you'll think you already know it. Except it's better...It transcends all this college vs. cutting-edge hoo-hah and aims squarely for the timeless. Oh, and it's not a one-trick pony either. Any one of these numbers could be a smash, and you might think it was five different bands. I'm not saying they're as great as the Beatles. I doubt they, or anyone, will produce a body of work as important as the Beatles did. But as far as what's out there right now? These guys are the fuckin' Beatles!"

- Joe Coughlin, The Noise



"A refreshing new hard-rock trio that marries the alt-rock edge of Nirvana with the arena-rock wham of AC/DC. This Boston band has outstanding potential."

- Steve Morse, The Boston Globe



"Each song has so much originality and freshness it's hard to believe that only three guys are involved...It's a simple combination of pop sensibility and creativity with just the right touch of adrenaline."

- Graham Wilson - The Weekly Dig








"Dramatic, frantic, and monstrously electric...more licks than a hooker in Bangkok...their searing live performance was somehow captured [on the EP]."

- Keith Harris, Northeast Performer (cover story)




"An incandescent pipe bomb that blows away preconcieved aesthetics in the name of nihilism...Reverse succeed at blending manic, guitar-driven pop with simplistic, poker-faced production."

- Alan Levesque, Northeast Performer



"These guys stand out from the heavy rock masses. There is that same wink
and nod in this music that there was in early Nirvana. That wink and nod that
says there may be a whole lot more going on here than we are letting on. Each
song on this album is a ticking time-bomb of aggression buried deep inside a
candy-filled piñata. Reverse has created the perfect recipe for hard rock:
one part Nirvana emotional aggression, one part Radiohead song structure and
experimentalism, throw in a dollop of texture from Brian Eno, and wrap it in
a bow of original pop hooks."

- John Stazinski, Insite Magazine



"Reverse follows, rocking just as hard but in a less traditional way, like Radiohead jamming with Fugazi. The audience grabs up all the copies of Reverse's free (!) 5-song EP, and stands in slack-jawed wonderment at the drummer's ridiculously hard and skillful pounding and the singer/guitarist's catchy and complex mini-symphonies. The vibe in the crowd is one of luck and appreciation of seeing up close a band that's destined to be selling out arenas."

- Mike Baldino, The Noise



"Thank you, Reverse, for making an EP that is so refreshing. The group's five
song disc packs more energy, soul and flavor than most Boston pop rock bands know what to do with. On top of it all, it's intelligent and catchy. The verses move like a high-speed train and the choruses are so familiar, you may find yourself singing them in the shower.
The loose but quick-paced sound of Reverse is surprising when you consider
that lead singer and guitarist Ian Kennedy, drummer Mike Piehl and
bassist Jackson Cannon started playing together in 1999, although all three
of them have had years of experience behind them. Smooth harmonies, a few key
breaks and lots of power, this alt-rock trio is going places. Keep an eye on
them."


- Jack Morris, bostoncitysearch.com