Victoria Underground - Handsome Distraction - Neighbours and Immigrants

Tonight begins my first in a series of (hopefully) many reviews of unsigned, independent local releases. For this installment we have on offer Victoria band Handsome Distraction and their 2010 EP Neighbours and Immigrants.

The band's name may appear to infer a certain cocky swagger, but make no mistake: Handsome Distraction are as down to earth and humble as rock musicians get. Frontman Devin Perfect has been a tireless contributor to the Victoria rock scene, both with HD and previous efforts such as Last Transmission (now Introverter), and even now in the hectic weeks following the birth of his daughter Freya, is planning HD's return to a busy schedule of constant gigging.

I first saw HD when they played with my band, Year of the Rat, back in February at the Fort Cafe. I was taken with the friendliness and approachability of the band, and further impressed with the energy emitted in their live show. It's clear that Mr. Perfect and co. have a deep passion for live music, and this really shines through in their performances.

Neighbours and Immigrants was recorded in the basement of Devin's home, fully produced and mixed by the man himself, and while it is apparent that it is a home-produced record, there are a number of production qualities that are quite impressive for a demo EP of this type. The vocals are clear and balanced, sitting nicely on top of instrumentals that are very tight and well-focused. Guitar tones are crisp and appropriate--you won't find any of the buzzy, indistinct or poorly-miced guitar tones of other home-produced records. The bass is warm, and while it could stand out a bit more in a few places, is for the most part well-mixed.

Only the drums seem to suffer from a bit of occlusion, but even then there are times when they really shine, seeming to suit the nature of the songs quite well in their background texture. Whatever the case, it's evident that drummer Bryan Reiber is a competent beat-keeper, with many of his patterns seemingly influenced by classic drummers like Dave Grohl and Chad Smith. He even kind of looks like Dave Grohl, which is never a bad thing for a drummer.

There are demonstrations of the band's songwriting up to this point on Neighbours, and hints at where they will progress to in the future. Tracks such as the one "Matter of Time" showcase a forward-thinking approach to songwriting, with interesting guitar textures and non-traditional song structuring.

This is a demo record, and so of course there are indications of a band struggling to find their identity; at times, HD's textural guitar licks feel flat and unimaginative, and their lyric-writing falls, at times, into bouts of cliche. In general, though, Perfect has done an able job of crafting a record for the working-class, everyday sort of chap in all of us. Neighbour's songs touch on themes of getting older, finding inspiration in the midst of daily responsibility, among some of the usual relationship-y type fodder that most of us can identify with. Being such an approachable and down to earth fellow as he is, none of this is surprising, and it's part of the band's charm. All this is part of the natural evolution of a modern rock band, and does little to deter the earnest nature of the EP.

Armed with a recent lineup change at lead guitar, and with a whole new set of life experiences to draw from, I can honestly say that I can't wait for HD's future output. This is a band that's hell-bent on making it places, and rather than take the usual "no hostages" approach, they're doing it in a fashion that's going to earn them a lot of friends (and fans) along the way. Perhaps there's a lesson in that for all of us.

Recommendation - I won't tell you not to buy this record, because it's a respectable effort for a more than respectable band, and certainly worthy of the meager amount of money you will spend on it. I do remain convinced, however, that these guys are capable of more; I also happen to know that they're in the midst of new recordings as this is being written (studio ones this time), so perhaps hold out and spend your hard earned dollars on future Handsome D albums; or, better yet, spend those bucks at one of their shows, which feature a lot of new material written after this record that is top-notch.

Audio - Handsome Distraction - Loose Ends