aaamusic | On 29, Jan 2014

‘Lack Lustre Rush’ rouses you from the get-go with an unprocessed torrent of raw guitar-goodness; created by the Virginia brothers without the modern crutch of computers. The effect is therefore a layered coarseness that allows you to hear right into the belly of the beast, as it swipes its claws at you from the speakers.

Pontiak’s country-boy demeanour is injected with a dirty grunge-filled needle in ‘Lack Lustre Rush’, and is filled with the vocal and instrumental spirit of Nirvana; with more of a heated, rural toughness. Their self-assuredness is clear and a certain confidence emanates from the stoned, primal growls, slipping in-and-out of the distorted, guitar lunges. ‘Lack Lustre Rush’ keeps the traditional values of a rock track, and although the singing and lyrics aren’t particularly innovative; the simplicity and directness are well accommodated with the raw sound of the instruments.

There is always a danger of being too traditional however and Pontiak may need to add a few squirts of 2014 in order to avoid being mistaken for an actual ‘70s (or ‘90s) rock band. The quality of the track is something to envy for new rock acts, and should be a lesson in showing instrumental intricacies through old-fashioned recording methods; an approach that hopefully becomes popular with more bands in the coming years.

★★★★★

Liam Dodd