Restorations – Strange Behavior

“Can you turn that up a little louder?” It’s a question Restorations proposed to the listener on the second track, “Linear Notes;” and also a question you’ll be asking yourself when playing their newest album, Strange Behavior. Former members of Jena Berlin, No Roses, and Little League make up this Philadelphia based punk rock group that combines orgcore vocals and indie infused melodic rock with a bit of country twang thrown in too; making for a soft album but not one that needs to be any louder than it already is.

The EP opens with “Title Track” where guitars that give a western feel of sorts are accompanied by gang vocals of “woah’s” over a raspy vocalist who looks for an answer in his hometown and finds none. “Linear Notes” follows the same idea claiming “I need something different but I don’t know what it is”. It appears that two great songs have come out of Restorations’s boredome and search for answers.

The 2nd part of the EP slows it down starting with “The Reappearing American Hobo” where female vocals appear alongside a slightly less raspy voice. The two vocals contrast together beautifully as they tell a story of an argument between a couple about Jack Kerouac.

Finally, the EP ends with “Documents”; a song just 30 seconds shy of 8 minutes where the vocals sound like a mix between Chuck Ragan (Hot Water Music) and Brett Adams (The Riot Before). A slower tempo song, it makes the listener sit and actually listen to the track as the whole EP is nicely represented through this one song.

Restorations prove that a punk rock band doesn’t need to constantly be in your face and fast paced. Even punks gotta settle down, relax, and enjoy themselves every once in a while.