A band which clearly understands what needs to be saved from post-Nirvana post-punk, SAVAK make rock that's every bit as energetic as stuff from bands like Girls Against Boys, Jawbox, and Afghan Whigs was, but which keeps things moving ever forward. With members that served time in various similarly-minded outfits in the Nineties and after, and strong ties to the hardocre scenes on the East Coast, SAVAK's new record, SQUAWK!, is punchy and as a tight as a tourniquet.
"Child's Pose and "No Man's Island" are concise servings of superb alt-rock. (Yeah, I still use that term!) There's a sense of pop in the latter, enough to make it wildly catchy even. Elsewhere, the excellent "Talk to Some People" continues this band's trend of updating the beefier aspects of the late Eighties R.E.M. attack with a lyricism that's more world weary. Think Thurston Moore doing Urge Overkill covers. SAVAK are exceedingly adept at this kind of material, and more than ever, have seemingly staked out their own territory, enough that in a year or so I'll be comparing other bands to the sound here.
For a band so strong in terms of a full assault, the mid-tempo numbers on SQUAWK! are also particularly good. "Hitting Therapy", a real highlight here, and "Tomorrow and the Day After" linger in the ear with an easy insistence. Strong bass-work from Matt Hunter (New Radiant Storm King) on both is another plus as he works well with purposeful drummer Matt Schulz (Lake Ruth). There's a kind of Merge Records-in-the-Nineties-thing anchoring those cuts, with that vibe continuing to closer (unless you get the version with bonus cuts) "Empty Age", a real Polvo-y workout.
SAVAK don't waste a moment on SQUAWK!. For a band who've been refining their approach with each subsequent release, the concise charge of this new SAVAK record is likely going to still be a surprise. Mixed by Travis Harrison, who's done a bunch of Guided By Voices releases, this album clicks into gear, cranks forward, and no one's foot much touches the brakes. Joined by a host of musicians, Matt Schulz, Michael Jaworski, and Sohrab Habibion have made a fantastically listenable record here in 2025.
SQUAWK! by SAVAK is out this Friday via Peculiar Works. Details below.
DMV folks should be aware that SAVAK are playing Baltimore on May 30, and D.C. on May 31. Details on the SAVAK official website.
[Photo: Taylor Sesselman]