Youth on the Loose

posted in: Artist Features • Rock

Let’s just get this out of the way first: French Cassettes are a young band. As in “fresh out of high school, not that much older than Justin Bieber” young.  And, because they’re nascent, there are some elements of the music you’ll have to overlook. First and foremost, the production quality of their recordings. It’s bad. Secondly, the looseness of their playing. Not much is locked in-step or a tempo. If you can get past those two things, there’s plenty to like about French Cassettes. They’ve got a keen sense of melody, a lot of ideas and ” as they say in the biz ” moxie. Singer Scott Huerta’s plaintive voice, reminiscent of Ben Bridwell from Band of Horses, is the most fully-developed instrument of the group, and leads the ramshackle pack through ska (See the herky-jerky Hands), Latin music (See the overwrought, fiesta-gone-wild Cantina) and indie rock (See the winsome and charming Seahorse”). Give these guys a  couple years to perfect their technique and watch the indie pundits rave.