Album: Old Growth

Label: Matador 

Release Date: February 5, 2008 

Matador's heavy-sludge trio has been putting out consistent albums for some time now, but their latest single "I'm Gone" on the band's upcoming album Old Growth finds the band delving into simplistic pop melodies that surround the vocal track without the usual droning effect. The lazy slurred vocals are reminiscent of early Electric Prunes recordings, and the guitars finally dip into distortion that fits within the dependable formula the band found in the fuzz-based madness. It's always interesting to hear the band strip themselves down, and it shows they are trying to break their previous formula by making it the premier single for Old Growth. Although one can hope for a droning wall of sound, a transition into something more instantly recognizable is never a bad thing.