Exuding a grungy suaveness with its blistering guitar distortion and confident vocals, “Falling off the Monkey Bars” is the latest single from Crawling Vines. Previously impressing with the track “Vinyl on the Floor” last year, the project of Chicago-based musician Jack Holston continues succeeding with a consuming rock sound with both retro-tinged nostalgia and invigorating energy.
An alluring guitar-fronted thumping, with the twangy punctuating tone reminding fondly of Gish-era Smashing Pumpkins, excels into an angsty vocal lightness. They assume a more melancholic character as they fall back a bit in favor of the guitars, slowing down with hypnotic enthrallment past the one-minute mark and into a satiating, gradually escalating finale.
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This and other tracks featured this month can be streamed on the updating Obscure Sound’s ‘Best of November 2022’ Spotify playlist.
