$500

Always happy to lift up the locals, and Kingston’s $500 has been nothing if not persuasive in their lacquering of the local stages. The band keeps a foot in the noise-dusted ‘90s and another in the rock resuscitation of the ‘00s. Fondling feedback and working dynamics like a fourth member of the band, the group’s debut, Twelve Eyes, is a gnarled treat for the Alt acolytes out there. Crouched in power trio stance, the band winds through hushed tension on “Zero to Nero,” thicken the riffs on “Abundance,” and prove they wield both brevity and slow burn build, chalking up 90 second stunners and an 8-minute centerpiece that feel equally comfortable in their hands.

It’s those short bursts that find them at their best here, and a trio of tightly wound tracks (“Of Salt,” “Dead C,” and “Martin Luther Boogie,” might act as a cheat sheet for $500 if you need a taste of the talent. These three cuts barely break the seal before they’re spent, but each is a crushed confection that you’ll return to again and again. Like Tony Molina with a twist of tension, they turn the brief burn of the whiplash single into something enviable. The band have taken this album into their own hands, a self-released ripper that sees them finding their footing, but doing it quickly. Even if you’re out of the Valley, this one should bring a burn that’s perfect for the amp pummelers, punks, angst-wave riders fiending for something new with a taste of the old.

Support the artist. Buy it HERE.