A fresh face in the punk scene, local rockers Bike Tuff produce authentic indie/emo/punk music that’s a little more thoughtfully crafted than is usually the case.
Hailing from Southern Michigan (mostly), this quartet is made up of brothers Steve and Greg Brewer, Nathan Richards and Joel Bloxsom. Together since 2008, they’ve released an initial EP, 2009’s S.U.D.S., and contributed a track to the 2012 tribute album Either/Or Sucks: A Tribute to The Descendants. Their latest effort, Into Shore, displays a songwriting craft and general musical ability that can be elusive for the genre.
While the opening track is harsh, the aggression dissipates as the album progresses, shifting towards a more classic approach with nice harmonies, strong and consistent song structures, and solid musicianship, much more reminiscent of King’s X and (especially) Galactic Cowboys than Fugazi or Bad Brains.
Unfortunately, that consistency makes choosing just one song pretty tough, but “Los Plantanos” edges ahead of the other contenders here, although “Sweet Berry Wine” (any band that references Tim & Eric can’t suck) and “Eraser Head” (same goes for David Lynch) are both excellent runners up.
Again, the album is Into Shore, and its available from both the band’s personal website or their Bandcamp for a measly $6.
