In case you missed it, we named The Pharmacy’s Stoned & Alone our favorite new release last week. Right on the heels of that release, the Seattle trio is set to perform this evening at The Stone Fox.
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Here’s a bit of what I had to say about the band and their new album (you can catch the full review here):
The Pharmacy are a bit of an anomaly. Their music and their attitude represents an impossibly broad spectrum of influences, many which would typically contradict at best or completely fall apart at worst. Yet the end result is a confident, refined, and amazingly enjoyable band. One that not only makes sense, but reflects so many familiar things while not sounding exactly like any of them. Even more amazingly, The Pharmacy make this remarkable feat seem effortless- they present and carry themselves with an all-encompassing rock and roll swagger that makes me honestly believe they don’t care all that much about the end result or what you may think of it so much as the self-fulfillment of being and living this band. It’s an understatement to say Stoned & Alone (a loose concept album as the title would suggest) is the band’s strongest release to date. Mostly shed of their garage punk beginnings (though the spirit lives on), the record encompasses the range of indie rock, psychedelic flair, britpop, legacy punk, retro rock, and a TON of Seattle (the band’s homebase) influence- both in the classic alt rock sense and more modern, artsy experimental Seattle aesthetic. It not only bounces around this spectrum from track to track, but within individual songs themselves as well- songs such as “Dig Your Grave” juxtapose punk rhythms with britpop vocals, modern indie riffs, total psychedelic tendencies, and retro lofi production that manages to sound timeless yet perfectly comfortable on the modern musical landscape.
A little bit garage rock and a lot punk rock, Nashville’s Cy Barkley and The Way Outsiders released their awesome debut full-length So Bad this summer on Infinity Cat and, if you don’t already know, it’s actually so good. If you’re a fan of Ty Segall or Nashville’s JEFF the Brotherhood, this band will be right up your alley!
Another Nashville-based opener, Tropical Punk also lean heavily on garage rock and punk rock tendencies to produce dynamic and energetic rock and roll music. Both openers exist in the heavier, more punk realm of things than The Pharmacy but all three bands share a high-energy rock and roll spirit and a ton of range, which should make for an exciting, fun show!
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The Pharmacy perform tonight at The Stone Fox with support from Cy Barkley and The Way Outsiders and Tropical Punk. The show starts at 9PM and tickets are only $7. More information is available here.
