times new viking – rip it off (2008)

there is a new and exciting sound creeping out of the american underground-music woodwork. some call it "no-fi", others comically deem it “shit-gaze.” but whatever popular music critics decide to call it, one thing is for sure: this is not your father’s garage-rock, and columbus, ohio’s times new viking are the front runners of this revolution. much like 2005’s dig yourself, rip it off is a collection of treble-heavy, fuzzed-out jams that will have the skate punk within us all cutting our jeans short and feeling that heavy summer sun. if you’re no stranger to bands like california’s wavves or psychedelic horseshit (also columbus, ohio natives), then you may think you know what to expect with this lp; but there is something to it that neither of those groups can offer.

rip it off comes packaged with a sort of pop sensibility and roaming melody that similar bands seem to find trouble placing: a seemingly effortless flow that leaves them somewhere in between the sonic youth and a hell-bent japanese go-go band. this authenticity can be found on every ear-splitting track, plunging the listener into the dismal, catchy world of times new viking. check it out, turn it up, and shut your blinds – this could get messy.


notable tracks:
(my head)
rip allegory
relevant: now