The stripped-down, insistent rock and roll of the Younger Lovers careens, buzzes, and leers with an energy unheard in decades. Led by Brontez Purnell, known for his performances with Gravy Train!!!! and his confessional ’zine Fag School, the Younger Lovers draw on the intoxicating legacy of The Replacements, Jonathan Richman, and The Gories, revitalizing the breathless spirit of adolescence. As Brontez explains, “This decade showed a dramatic decrease in the good old standard of cool, queer, punk-kid records. Everyone ran for a drum machine and opted to be the next Justin Timberlake. No probs. No shade. This just left the playhouse empty. Enter the Younger Lovers.”
The Gamma Rays reunite downtown legends Alex Neimetz and Alice Blythe, who demonstrated all of the swagger and catchiness of The New York Dolls and Richard Hell in their first band Modrocket. A year later, they’ve added a bit of haze and ache to their New York upbringing, creating a dizzyingly fun and occasionally heartbreaking new sound for The Gamma Rays.