This Year’s Tiger, This Year’s Tiger EP

Recorded as a four-piece at Dead City Sound, This Year’s Tiger’s self-titled EP demonstrates that they’re a band Houston should be proud of. Even scaled-down to a three-piece live, they’re both raw and powerful, and this sound translates well to disc.

Singer, guitarist, and Illinois expat Justin Blumenstock draws on his personal experiences, both with past bands and his personal life, for subject matter. No rookie to the music scene, he graduated from the same school of rock as members of Peralta, Planes Mistaken for Stars, and Minsk, and his past bands include Dismiss, Mingus Council, Cherry Lane, and Fairmont, to name a few. The rhythm section is made up of Jerry Wilcox, formerly of Ta’nari, and Scott Johnson, formerly of Last Surprise, who are both technical and precise, giving the band a full and even timbre.

This self-titled and self-released EP gives us some standout songs, including “Bullet for You,” referencing the brotherhood Justin shares with members of bands past back in Illinois, with the chorus proclaiming, “When I look at the tattoo on my arm / I think of you, think of you / Some things you never forget / I’d take a bullet for you then / I’d take a bullet for you now.” Blumenstock powerfully writes someone off in “Your Face Has No Melody,” a song that makes me fairly certain I’d like to stay on his good side. This release has a good rhythm to it; all the songs are really strong. It’s not one of those “let’s hurry up and get an EP out” kind of releases. The quality shows all the way through the mix.

This Year’s Tiger’s sound isn’t new — it’s that comfortable sound of guitar-driven rock with roots entrenched in post-punk that will always have a place in the music scene, no matter the time period. For some reason, though, Houston’s scene has been missing this sound on this level. This Year’s Tiger can fill that void for our fair city, hopefully giving it a chance for some more of the camaraderie that tends to go along with bands like this. And it may even give us more opportunities to see touring bands stop in Houston who have that No Idea sound or label, whatever the case may be.

Both of these contentions depend, though, on the music fans. This Year’s Tiger definitely give performances and a release that warrant a solid local fan base. They put it all out there — hopefully it will be well-received. The EP leaves me looking forward to both a full-length record and their next live performance.