I got interested in Fast Metabolism after seeing it billed as "fast, loud and weird" punk rock from Detroit - three adjectives close to my own heart. Oddly enough, Tyvek isn't all that fast, loud, or weird, but they kick up a surprisingly enjoyable and inspired racket nonetheless.
Tyvek play a simple, unaffected kind of garage punk, drawing comparisons to bands like Half Japanese or The Electric Eels. But to my ears, their genes are closer to dearly departed San Diego shit-stirrers Le Shok, throwing down a sloppy whirlwind of staccato chords and sniffly, sick-day vocals. And like Le Shok, Tyvek tear through their lively and addictive tunnel-vision songs like a kid going through Christmas presents. They also represent their hometown well: these songs have a thumping, steam-driven pulse that invokes the rhythms of the assembly line, twitching like Charlie Chaplin in Modern Times.
Fast Metabolism unravels a bit toward the end, but it never loses its charm. I didn't really know what to expect from this record, but listening to it felt like finding a $10 bill walking down the street. I like this more every time I play it. A spirited, left-field gem.
