Hailing from the San Francisco Bay Area, The Vrbs came into existence in late 2019 when Jared Richard (guitars/vocals) and Paul Cingolani (bass), former bandmates from Audiobender, teamed up with Jeff Ham, the former drummer of Weapon Eleven. Their collaborative efforts gave birth to a fresh and unique style of modern rock, infused with a nostalgic ‘90s vibe. Blending commanding vocals, guitar-fueled power-pop and elements of neo-grunge, they embarked on a musical journey like no other.
The band recently released a double self-titled album The Vrbs, which contains fifteen songs. Their music is certainly rock based, melding elements of punk, garage rock and other sub-genres. The first song I listened to was called “Take Me Home” and this song in particular had an early 2000’s indie rock flavor in the spirit of a band like The Strokes. It’s catchy, fun and well-delivered but also doesn’t contain many surprises. A similar garage rock vibe is presented on “Say Hello” where the band manifests catchy melodies and an undeniable upbeat energy. On “New Drug” we start to hear some deviation. The energy comes closer to a ’90s punk band like Green Day and arguably Rancid. “Paper Claims” is another deviation in style. Something about this song felt like it was from the Seattle Scene in the ’90s. The vocalist even sounds a little like Layne Staley from Alice in Chains. “Without You” was one of my favorites. This song was clearly influenced by ’50s pop between the vocal harmonies and drum beat. “Scream for Me” was another high point. I loved how the vocals were delivered on this song. “Under The Sea” is more reflective and atmospheric. It's a great song and displays another side to their talent. They reach some impressive heights with this song. The second side to the album has some good songs. There’s a bit of ’80s flavor with “Gravity” which is also a darker song that again brought to mind Layne Staley especially when he goes for those high notes. The band sounds like a jam band on “Closer” which has some killer grooves and some intimate moments. “Hog” is a fairly straightforward rocker but again well done and delivered. They explore punk again on “Blow It Up” but the flirtation of spaghetti western on “Run” was even better. The band closes strong with “Down The Mountain” which is a dynamic tune with a great build. The Vrbs aren’t reinventing the wheel and their influences felt overt.That being said, they write great songs and rock. There are some great songs and the band does a great job exploring the many sub-genres of rock.
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