News Eugene Quell

: Tobias Hayes
Based: London
Listen: The ‘Eugene Otto Quell’ EP
Similar to: Weezer, Jackson Scott

Anyone with a passing interest in all-thrills Big Scary Monsters-endorsed rock will recognise the name Tobias Hayes. His musical resume boasts Shoes and Socks Off and the now completely disbanded Meet Me In St. Louis. His attention turns to Eugene Quell, a new project / alter-ego that bears few things in common with previous guises. This is gnarly, spitting stuff, reserved for grimy basement parties and the occasional act of arson.

From the Diana-giving-the-finger artwork to ‘WEIRD PURR’s opening ‘fuck sake’ statement, Eugene Quell is all about channelling frustrations into something resembling a rush of 90s endorsed pop-punk, Weezer comparisons ahoy. The lead track on his ‘EUGENE OTTO QUELL’ EP is a saw-toothed giant, the kind Jackson Scott was blasting out from all sides in 2013. If 2013 represents a resurgence in brattish, tongue-in-cheek gems such as these, Eugene Quell is a fully-endorsed leader of the movement.