There’s a snarky wit to the locomotive impulses of San Jose indie rock duo Aluminum Boys. Jared Ottmann and William “Bill” Pence are serious about the absurdities of the world and are intent on picking them apart so that we may better devour their various eccentricities. Their debut album, Collected Pieces, is due out March 28, and it finds them using the tensile strengths of classic indie rock aesthetics to address the curious nature of our current reality. Under the direction of producers Paula Kelly and Aaron Tap, distortion is rendered cathedral in effect, and melodies are shaped into endless labyrinths. They also enlisted the help of drummer Sean Hutchinson to handle the propulsive framework which supports their ’90s configurations.
Collected Pieces is a comment on the emotional disconnectedness, vulnerability, and confusion that we as a society endured during the COVID pandemic. The album was constructed through the occasional in-person interaction but much of its central structures were built from long-distance filesharing and remote collaboration. It’s a testament to everyone’s shared vision of these songs that the geographical limitations didn’t hamper the inherent musical cohesion of the record.
On their latest single, “Green Texts”, the band uses snark and humor to underscore a deeper understanding of the distances that technology can often place between us. Driven forward by churning guitars and a knack for unraveling life’s quiet mysteries, Ottmann and Pence balance their need for quirky rhythmic detours with a heart-on-sleeve earnestness that recalls the literate landscapes of The Decemberists mixed with the anthemic release of Interpol. It’s a casual riot, one that pulses with an inner kinetic energy but maintains a tongue-in-cheek temperament.
The band describes the new single as “a lighthearted song about the technology that defines us that belies deep character work about what really matters in a relationship.“
Listen below.
Collected Pieces is due out March 28 on Nail Polish Emoji Records. Follow the band on Instagram.
