If I have to give the elevator pitch, I’ll call The Anomalys garage rock with an ear for surf and psyche rock -- turned up to 11 and blasted through blown out speakers in an old 1980s sedan. It’s high-energy, no-frills rock ‘n’ roll with attitude. While it’s short, loud and fast, there’s also quite a bit of nuance and musical influence that oozes through the gritty first layer. The album is a mix of instrumental and vocal tracks, and the mood sometimes shifts from bite-your-thumb nihilism to pedal-to-the-metal intensity. It’s against the grain music and, while it’s anti-authority, it’s also a little low key, if that makes any sense. At times The Anomalys sound like a strobe light. All of the photos I see of the band are black and white and grainy -- or maybe it’s just in my head, because it’s exactly what I think they should look like.
If I were to pick the singles, I’d select the garage-rock stomping “Flat Top” which blends surf finger-picking with fuzzy head nodding tones in a way that really keeps its momentum for a full four minutes, as well as “Slaughterhouse,” which maintains that same balance of anxiety and aggression, just minimally restrained. While there’s a clearly defined sound, the band mixes it up very well. “Despair” has some serious space-out psyche jam moments, for example, serving as a nice changeup from the more anxious rhythms. There’s a similar tone in “Go Away,” but with a drippy surfside element. Down The Hole, overall, is another rager and a fitting follow-up to Glitch (2022).
