Radical Dads - "Paved Mountain"

I’ve been feeling more and more like a Radical Dad recently. Though my fiancé and I are currently childless, I’m creeping into my mid-30s and I tuck all of my shirts into my pants. That includes t-shirts. Radical Dad sounds better than aging hipster, too, which is a term I started using to describe my essence once I started going gray and Stephen Malkmus released Groove Denied. 

All of this is to say that I’ve been feeling old lately and I, unfortunately, missed out on Radical Dads the first time they were around, but I’m catching up by working backward. Their latest full length, Paved Mountain, came out late last month, and it has a little bit of something for everyone to enjoy under the umbrella of classic indie rock. There’s a dash of emo (the good kind, which comes from the Midwest), a smattering of slacker-rock guitars, propulsive drumming, and a nearly ubiquitous amped-up intensity that’ll almost certainly induce neverending sing-alongs. The band’s powerful sound oozes with classic indie rock influences in the best possible way. The canonical acts of the 90s all peek the heads out, whether it’s the angular Superchunk-esque riffs on “Vanishing Point,” the passion-soaked vocals of Archers of Loaf on “Backswing,” or the healthy heaping of Pavement styled guitar fuzz on “Chasing A Ghost.” There’s even a faint organ-sounding synth on “Institution” that gave me some Flying Nun vibes. Case in point, if you enjoy good old fashioned indie rock, you’ll love Paved Mountain. Vocalist Lindsay Baker’s voice really stands out, as it reminds me of a more intense and anthemic sounding Eleanor Friedberger. Plus, the hooks are punchy and plentiful, which isn’t surprising, as I just learned via e-mail that guitarist Chris Diken has a New Jersey power-pop pedigree (his dad is first cousins with Dennis Diken of The Smithereens). 

The members of Radical Dads all left Brooklyn for different parts of the world and each member recorded their respective parts separately. Thus, it’s even more impressive that they were able to put together such a cohesive sounding record.  Listen to it for yourself by purchasing it on vinyl via Bandcamp.  The album is also available on all streaming services, including Spotify.