Grooms Rejoicer

Grooms used to call themselves Muggabears, but they changed names and drummers for their full-length debut, Rejoicer, on the Death by Audio label. Just as well--the playful name didn't capture the style of noise pop Travis Johnson and Emily Ambruso started playing in Brooklyn in 2004, and extended for Rejoicer with the help of drummer Jim Sykes, who played for Marnie Stern and Parts and Labor. With some of Stern’s precision and some of the experimentation and chaos of their New York predecessors Sonic Youth, Grooms still keep things catchy enough to give the album title real sincerity.

Abstract by Michael Hoven