The new EP “Scary Things” from The Quick & Easy Boys is a spooky short from one of Portland, Oregon’s best-kept musical secrets.
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Rising like the angry undead with a bone (or several) to pick (clean), Oregon indie rockers The Quick & Easy Boys are set to infest the Halloween music scene with their latest EP “Scary Things”. Yes, October is the month to celebrate all things sinister, spooky, and spicy (usually of the pumpkin variety), and “Scary Things” fits the aesthetic like a bloody body bag.
At first, a nightmare-themed hard-rockin’ EP seems an odd fit. The Quick & Easy Boys (TQ&EB from here on out) are, by design, a band that is hard to categorize but typically falls somewhere between the funk-rock sounds of the 70s and the punk-rock style of the 80s (this is not a complaint).
Take a random sampling of songs, and you’ll find similarities to The Smiths, 70s Aussie greats Angel City, The Police (early years especially), and plenty more. Sprinkles of Bee Gees here and a dollop of doo-wop there result in a rather eclectic rock & roll concoction that defies convention and, by proxy, may not appeal to all palates.
And yet, dig a little deeper, and you’ll find a bespoke cohesion under the fluid façade, hardly unexpected for a band that’s been a fixture in the Portland area for nearly 20 years.
When musicians have played together for two decades, progressing across multiple styles throughout their journey, they tend to have a natural chemistry that is almost like muscle memory—an unspoken attunement. And with eight full albums under their belts, TQ&EB are certainly not afraid of pushing boundaries—ultimately, releasing a heavier, Halloween-focused EP isn’t much of a stretch.
Of course, familiarity is all well and good, but how does the eerie experiment hold up? Quite well, it turns out.
In simple terms, “Scary Things” is a worthy ode to the Samhain season.
The Quick & Easy Boys
Featuring four spectral songs and clocking in at twenty-four minutes, the EP has a decidedly impish quality to it – the literal sound of good-natured musical mischief.
In the interest of full disclosure, I feel it prudent to admit that I am largely a “get off my lawn” type of audiophile, taking my music very seriously and being rather rigid with my expectations of how music is recorded and released. As such, I generally have a hard time connecting with a song when it’s clear that the musicians are “faffing about,” as the British might say. That said, despite knowing that TQ&EB is trying on a different hat with “Scary Things” and having undeniable fun in the process, I was all in with this EP.
It truly sounds like a garage band that is absolutely leveling the suburbs on their final rehearsal – and I mean that as a huge compliment.
Stylistically, these four tracks could best be described as hard rock tinged with blues, groove, and good old-fashioned heavy metal vibes (think Deep Purple and Black Sabbath).
Down-tuned but up-tempo, full of amplifier fuzz and pedal distortion, “Scary Things” legitimately sounds like a blast from the past, unearthed from the ruins of a moldering record studio to wreak havoc on modern-day listeners.
For as much as I love the Swedish superstars of Ghost, songs about devils and demons, in my opinion, should be a little raw. On “Scary Things”, TQ&EB are only too happy to oblige.
As for the monsters behind the mayhem, this is as barebones (pun intended) a lineup as you can find. Bassist Sean Badders doubles as the band’s lead singer, Jimmy Russell slings the six-string and provides backing vocals, while Tyrone Hendrix mans the skins. It’s an unholy trinity of bass, guitar, and drums… and nothing more. True, you may hear a few studio post-production effects here and there, but “Scary Things” remains a largely undiluted affair.
We inhabit a world full of overproduced earworms, algorithmically enhanced for casual consumption by the ravenous, mindless masses.
The stripped-down nature of “Scary Things” is a most welcome reprieve.
Ghosts – My favorite track from “Scary Things”, Ghosts is arguably the most “straightforward” offering of the EP. Like a gloom-tinged ZZ Top tune, Ghosts is a bluesy barnstormer, rollicking along with a heavy four-on-the-floor tempo, buoyed by a pulsing bassline and solid percussion. The minimalist approach works wonders, allowing for each instrument to be heard loud & clear.
Witches – I like big songs, and I cannot lie. From Zeppelin’s Kashmir to Sisters of Mercy’s This Corrosion, I love it when a song finds its groove and just keeps on truckin’. Witches, at 7:58 seconds, keeps that vibe alive, providing ample time to for listeners to get cozy with its gnarly fuzz. And is that a Hammond organ (or equivalent) I hear? Witches is undoubtedly the most 70s-sounding song on the EP and the one that feels the most like a nod to Black Sabbath. Some may be put off by the focused, jam-heavy final third, but it surely put a smile on this reviewer’s face.
Demons – Launching like a bat out of hell, Demons is a track that wouldn’t have felt out of place in the Maika Monroe satanic film God is a Bullet (a movie I enjoyed). There’s a delightfully old-school punk vibe here, from the heavy power chords to the piledriver drums. All killer and no filler, Demons is liable to bring a mosh pit to a TQ&EB live show, which would surely be a sight to see.
The Succubus – Starting out almost like White Rabbit by Jefferson Airplane, The Succubus begins on the right foot but begins to meander several minutes in. Unfortunately, this is the only track that didn’t do too much for me, though that’s surely due to my own inherent aversion to overlong noodling (improvisational segments a la Phish) as opposed to the songwriting or musicianship. I don’t dislike the song one bit; it just didn’t grab me like the previous three.
Arriving just in time for the best holiday of the year, “Scary Things” by The Quick & Easy Boys is a devilishly fun time, a low-fi but high-energy homage to not only the various things that go bump in the night but also the boys & ghouls who hold Halloween in high esteem.
Trading pristine studio trickery for a “you’re right there with the band” sound, the “Scary Things” EP may come in a smaller, fun-size package, but it more than delivers on the full-size thrills.
Highly recommended!
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