David Stewart Jr - DSJR EP

David Stewart Jr

DSJR EP
self-released; 2013

3.8 out of 5

By Sean Dennison

David Stewart Jr is all about the 80s, all about the same searing guitar introductions to songs, all about sex in the lyrics, all about high-pitched male vocal harmonies, all about heavy percussion, all about that transitory phase metal goes through when attempting to reach a wider audience. He fronts a three-man crew that plays the rock basics: guitar, drums and bass. And he's originally from Lima, Peru. I knew a guy from Peru once but he was into house music and EDM.

DSJR is only four tracks long, which is a bummer because, despite being only 19 years old, Stewart's compositional skills are top notch. He constructs fun and usually frantic songs that will make you want to headbang, whether you're alone or in a crowd. The opener "Night In Town" is awesome and uses a tough riff to introduce a verse-chorus emulation of those sloppy drunk nights when the only thing louder than the music is the sex. "Multicolor Man" offers excellent drumming and a slightly psychedelic bridge courtesy of Daniel Clark and Ed Graves respectively (they play on all the tracks, I'm just now mentioning them) while Stewart proclaims, "And if you ever see me walking/smoking grass while on a stroll/just wait 'till night time hits the city/then I'm the god of rock and roll!" And his voice is so hyper-charged you can easily believe it.

"Concrete December" is the loneliest-sounding number here by far, what with its tough blues-type guitars, slow-tempo drumming and self-destructive solo toward the end, with Stewart shouting at December to leave so he can get his sex on. "These Days Are Faded" end the EP on a slightly bruised note, when Stewart tries to restrain his vocals and comes off like some weird mix of Eddie Vedder and Chris Cornell. This isn't hyperbole on my part.

Damn good EP, tough, sexy and sweaty. Graves KILLS it on guitar on every song and each cut sounds fully realized and confident. Not bad from a guy who can't legally drink. I'm way excited to hear his music once he discovers LSD.

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