Boy + Kite
Go Fly
Album · Rock · 2011 · Self Release
On their debut album, Boy + Kite reinvigorate the tradition of glorious, feedback-drenched pop-rock that extends from The Velvet Underground through Sonic Youth and Lush. Go Fly grounds its bursts of guitar frenzy in solid songwriting, given voice by lead singers Darvin Jones and Beth Puorro. The galloping “Think in Stereo” and the wistful “Dear Lovely” stand out for their crisp rhythms and incisive fretwork. Tracks like “Deciphering Static,” “Isometrics," and “Skipping Backwards” have a subdued, insinuating intelligence that masks wounded emotions behind furtive lyrics. “Alone with a Microphone”—sung with nervous grace by Puorro—shows the band’s restrained yet beguiling melodic sense. When they want to, Boy + Kite can float away on billows of squalling noise, as with “Ohio” or “Satellite.” But Go Fly doesn’t lose itself in lofty clouds of artiness—there’s an earthy sensibility here that keeps Boy + Kite tied to the visceral world of classic garage rock.
Go Fly
Boy + Kite
On their debut album, Boy + Kite reinvigorate the tradition of glorious, feedback-drenched pop-rock that extends from The Velvet Underground through Sonic Youth and Lush. Go Fly grounds its bursts of guitar frenzy in solid songwriting, given voice by lead singers Darvin Jones and Beth Puorro. The galloping “Think in Stereo” and the wistful “Dear Lovely” stand out for their crisp rhythms and incisive fretwork. Tracks like “Deciphering Static,” “Isometrics," and “Skipping Backwards” have a subdued, insinuating intelligence that masks wounded emotions behind furtive lyrics. “Alone with a Microphone”—sung with nervous grace by Puorro—shows the band’s restrained yet beguiling melodic sense. When they want to, Boy + Kite can float away on billows of squalling noise, as with “Ohio” or “Satellite.” But Go Fly doesn’t lose itself in lofty clouds of artiness—there’s an earthy sensibility here that keeps Boy + Kite tied to the visceral world of classic garage rock.
