Stoner Control “Alone In The City”

This is a release which has been produced by Hutch Harris from The Thermals. It is also suggested to offer up a sound reminiscent of Weezer and the promise of power chords and hooks. Those facts alone were enough for us to want to check it out.

After the first couple of songs (“Hollywood Hills” and “Gimme Some Space”) it would be easy to dismiss Stoner Control as ‘just’ another power pop band bashing out great little songs. Not that there is actually anything wrong with that. Indeed, these are great songs which are perfect for sunny day listening and will enrich your day.

However, it was the song “Local News” that really grabbed our attention. There’s an extra element of rawness to this song that makes it stand out. When you hear this track and ones like “Wanna Go To The Movies” you sense that time may have been spent listening to the god-like Paul Westerberg. With the scuzzier sound of “Never Be You” you’re almost in to The Replacements territory or at least early Goo Goo Dolls.

The album really builds as it goes on and also with repeated listening. It sees the more rocking “Foregone Conclusion” or the more glam rock hints of “Short Round” worming their way into your brain. They manage to effortless slip from the pure power pop of “Little Baby” to the brilliant grunge pop of “iPhone”. That last song could easily be a Redd Kross song, which is one of the biggest compliments we can pay to a power pop band!

This really is a great release. It’s one of those albums that you just wish would become huge and gain mass appeal. Sadly, it’s probably too good for the media led mainstream. However, it’s the kind of release that could see Stoner Control gaining the same kind of fervent fan base that kept bands like The Replacements and Redd Kross going for years.