One of my favorite new indie rock bands, The Criticals, is back with a new Strokes-inspired track, “Homebody.” The vocals of Parker Forbes channels Julian Casablancas in all of the ways, but once he hits the falsetto in “Homebody”, followed by a psyched-out guitars, you realize that you aren’t in Kansas (or New York City anymore).
What I love about The Criticals is that they are everything that Greta Van Fleet is not—they are influenced by bands of generation’s past, but have the integrity and ability to make tunes their own. They don’t sound like an iteration of The Strokes or a 2019 Strokes cover band, they sound like a band that grew up listening to The Strokes, Arctic Monkeys, and The Killers, and said hey I like what they did, let’s see how we can make it better.
A few years ago in New York City, a lot of bands were coming out sounding just like The Strokes but without adding any new elements to their tracks. Nashville-based The Criticals is nothing but original; their oeuvre spans influences, energy, and general hardness. Start with “Homebody” and then move on to their tune “Good Lookin’” and you’ll see what I mean.