Eternally Teenage

Ever make a photocopy of a photocopy of a photocopy? As the original image deteriorates, the decay can become its own fascinating artifact. This goes a long way towards explaining the appeal of the debut album by Orange County duo Tomorrows Tulips. Guitarist Alex Knost and drummer Christina Kee can trace their way back to vintage '60s surf and psychedelic rock via Ramones, The Jesus and Mary Chain and the flood of young Brooklyn bands treading similar ground. But where acts like Best Coast or Vivian Girls focus on the sunny, bubblegummy elements of that sound, the deliberately rough-edged Eternally Teenage goes out of its way to embrace the margins. Songs are chopped off abruptly or stumble into awkward near-silences, the amateurish mix buries instruments and vocals into a woozy miasma of scuzz...quite soon, it becomes clear that Knost (former leader of the far more conventional Nuggets revivalists Japanese Motors) and Kee clearly meant for the album to sound like this. The cynical might suggest the deliberate scuffing-up is there to cover up uneven songwriting: indeed, album closer "Tired" consists almost entirely of Knost singing sleepy la-la-las while Kee coos wordlessly behind him over a shambling, detuned guitar riff. The weird thing is, Tomorrows Tulips sound so fully committed to this unapologetic half-assery that it's obviously a premeditated artistic choice. Crucially, there's also just enough hints of noise-pop smarts buried in the songs to make teasing them out a pleasure rather than a chore.