Little Racer - Split For The Coast

Retro seems to have been the musical buzzword of 2011 thanks in part to music writer Simon Reynolds book ’Retromania’ about pop culture’s increasing fascination with the past. Well, in terms of music it is unlikely that you will hear a piece of music more in thrall to the past than the debut single from Brooklyn three-piece Little Racer.

‘Split For The Coast’ is unashamedly old-fashioned sounding and its surf pop styling’s make the record sound as if it has been exhumed from the early sixties. The guitars twang and the bass has a sprightly bounce while the whole track is soaked in reverb to give a suitably period feel. The influence of classic American groups like the Beach Boys is clear in singer Elliot Michaud’s yearning vocals, but despite the seemingly throwaway pop sound there is a wistful sadness to Michaud’s cry of “I wanna go back to the coast” that provides a much needed emotional depth to a record that is, for the most part, very much pastiche.

Of course, there is nothing wrong with having such a retrogressive sound if the song is actually any good; there is more than enough melodic charm in ‘Split For The Coast’ to suggest that Little Racer have the skills to develop their sound into something rather more progressive.