Reptar

Alright, I'll admit it. I'm not a pop record kind of guy. You're never going to hear me blasting some heavy bass line out of my car and you definitely won't see me letting it all hang out on the dance floor. So, I can't stress enough that it takes a really special effort for me to even attempt a review of a dance pop record. I mean, it has to be a special kind of fantastic. That's what we have with Reptar's Lurid Glow.

Reptar formed in 2011 when William Kennedy (Imperceivable Shifts in Latitude, LOOK, Salsa Chest) had just moved to Athens, GA to study music and ended up playing in a band called CoCoRiCo with Reptar drummer Andrew McFrarland (Semicircle). Ryan Engelberger (Semicircle) and Graham Ulicny (Thick Paint, LOOK, Channel Pressure) ended up moving to Athens to fill out the group.

The band have released their second full-length album, Lurid Glow, out this week on Joyful Noise Recordings. Reptar’s 2012 debut, Body Faucet, was characterized by Pitchfork as “Afro-tribal-electro-twee-pop” for college kids who “seriously like nothing more than to throw the Fuck down." As much as I hate quoting those assholes, I hate it even more when they are accurate.

"Reptar is a conglomerate of musicians devoted to pulling from our brains as many fucked up pop songs as possible before we die. We are interested in writing pop/love songs for future purveyors of new feelings and for those not interested in the tired hetero-normative pop music that inundates the airwaves."

These guys make absolutely bonkers pop music that is reminiscent of both the 80's pop funk of groups like Was (Not Was) and dance party legends Oingo Boingo. But, instead of simply rehashing those admittedly fun references, Reptar add their own brand of modern indie pop crazy to the mix. Just imagine Dirty Projectors covering "Walk the Dinosaur" or Of Montreal if Kevin Barnes would stop writing ten-minute odes to mental masturbation. If that doesn't tickle your babymakers just a little bit, I honestly have to wonder if you have a pulse.

Tracks like "Cable" should be instant dancefloor hits, but I actually prefer Lurid Glow's more dramatic (some could say 'cheesy') ballads. "Every Chance I Get" is nothing short of a great singalong moment, reminiscent of that brief period in the late 80's when Pere Ubu was making pop records. Singer Graham Ulicny might sound like Dave Longstreth's gay cousin from Miami, but damn if he isn't belting every note just the right way on every song. Just in time for summer, Reptar have brought just the kind of album that will get even the lamest white man's hips moving. If you're in need of a new Saturday night album, Lurid Glow is an easy sell. Who knows, on the right night, if some forward-thinking DJ throws "Cable" on the loudspeakers, you might even find me on the dancefloor next to you.