Snacks
The Alabama that gave us Hank Williams, Wilson Pickett, Sun Ra and Gucci Mane is not “The South will rise again” version of that sweet home; it’s the place that’s always been there, turning out some of the most iconic performers in recorded American music. Maybe it’s the abundance of out-of-the-way locales, or the deep-South country heat, but Alabama musicians radiate an attractively tough honesty, like oysters with bits of sandy grit stuck in their shells turning out pearls.
Which brings us to Snacks, who came into being from the remnants of other underground Alabama bands (such as Huntsville garage-rockers Thomas Function), and who represent their surroundings and antecedents in fine Southern manner while drawing on influences from far and wide.
Snacks are playing a show at Propaganda in Lake Worth, presented by your friends at PureHoney. Their sound is a dreamy garage pop with psych tendencies that also travels outside the band-hijacked car port to embrace a range of tones and ideas. In Snacks’ reverb-draped repertoire there are strains of ’80s England’s Spacemen 3 and Jesus and Mary Chain. Alongside that are a whiff of Southern-ness and a ‘60s soul charm that recalls classic records cut at Alabama’s famed Muscle Shoals studio.
Led by singer-guitarist Zach Jeffries, they’re adept at chugging rhythms and jangly guitars, and they’ll dive into a trancey drone mode when the mood strikes.
Simply put, they have studied the records of pop royalty and found a way to stick to basics while refashioning the rock template of vocals, guitars, bass, drums and keys. The new Snacks album, Save You (out February 7), is awash in dreamlike vocals, hallucinogenic beats, and pop flourishes that emanate miniature Pet Sounds vibes.
Snacks aren’t trafficking in nostalgia, but they’re capable of sending you spiraling into into your memory banks for those formative experiences that are both physical and dreamlike in recall. Think of your first handful of popcorn, your first summer romance, and endless sun-drenched beach days.
Snacks, with B. Sonnier, Zippur and Beeline, perform 8pm Thursday, February 6 at Propaganda in Lake Worth. GET TICKETS! snacksmusic.bandcamp.com ~ Tim Moffatt
