Candy Apple

Since the band’s conception in 2007, Chico’s Candy Apple has been perpetuating and embellishing the tried-and-true garage-rock formula established on its self-titled debut album. From the first oscillating Farfisa organ riff to the final cymbal splash, the stylistic competence of Lazy Day—the rock quartet’s second full-length album—expounds upon this neo-vintage equation with biting Yardbirds-meets-Weezer fuzz-guitar riffs and Eric Burdon-esque howls (“Bittersweet” is reminiscent of The Animals’ “I’m Crying.”) accompanied by deftly tumbling drum patterns and Cadillac-smooth bass lines. Flirtatious yet predatory lyrics are alternately voiced by guitarist Jake Sprecher and organist Scott Barwick on “Feelin’ Loose”: “I want/ to be your friend/ There’s nothing wrong, girl/ why pretend?” Barwick at times conjures up Jim Morrison or Lou Reed (circa The Velvet Underground’s Loaded), while Sprecher’s voicing of “I Can’t Do” is evocative of The Ramones’ “Rockaway Beach.” Bend-heavy guitar solos, psychedelic vocalizations, gratuitous 16th-note drum fills and syncopated instrumental breaks all add vibrant detail to this tightly arranged collection of new garage-rock reclamations. Perhaps the most admirable trait of Lazy Day is the seamless way in which Candy Apple has continued to make a classic rock genre its own—aesthetically true-to-form without indulging in mimicry.