Burglary Years are a strange lot. The band’s name is often associated with the title of a Morrissey b-side album, their best song (2012’s “Lifesaver”) sounded like a lost Cure classic tumbling through a noisy jangle-pop spin-cycle, and their previous single, “Ghostwriter,” touched on shoegaze with the careful ease of a group that should be doing a 30th-anniversary reunion tour, never mind just starting out.
But even with that type of deck stacked up, that’s where the Boston band’s affiliation with that type of rock ends (is that enough?), as since they started playing live a few years ago never really felt a part of those scenes and the subcultures that exist because of those sounds and bands. This week Burglary Years are back with a new single, intent on crafting a scene of their own, and it somehow sounds fresh and familiar at the same time.
At nearly six minutes, “Hatch,” which you can hear below, has two interwoven, but distinct, personalities. The first half teeters along the brink of melodic modern rock, before swan-diving into a dirge-like pool of blissful distortion and wavy sonic frequencies. It meanders along, barreling towards its conclusion, before the bottom drops out and fades into the spare bleakness it never bothered with at the beginning. It’s an intense piece of dream-pop that immediately grabs, holds on for dear life, then pushes away once you’ve finally found a proper rhythm.
“Hatch” is the first taste of Burglary Years’ upcoming debut LP, 100 Roses, out July 17 digitally and on cassette via intrepid local label Disposable America (a vinyl release is expected later this year from the UK’s Dog Knights Productions).
Burglary Years host their 100 Roses record release show July 17 at the Democracy Center in Cambridge alongside the Hotelier, Alex Garcia-Rivera’s Chrome Over Brass, and smart pop upstarts Teenender, who we gushed over earlier this month.
Listen to “Hatch” via the Disposable America Bandcamp below, with more slow and release info after the embed.
Closed eyes are recommended for added listening pleasure.
