95 Bulls Go Home (art by Danielle Otrakji)
Do you have 22 minutes and 31 seconds? That’s the total running time of 95 Bulls lo-fi rager debut LP Go Home which came out just in time for your next trip to the beach. An accidental Brooklyn supergroup formed from loose members of local acts (Ash Jesus, Smock, Bipolar, Jelly Kelly, and Mystery Lights), they came together in the darkest corners of 2020, because as the band says “they all wanted to make music for fun while their bandmates were scattered but after one meetup everyone decided it was best to write a record and get married.” The band quickly began turning heads with their tornado of livestreams and outdoor performances any time and anywhere they could gather their gear and a crowd.
Pulling a crowd never seemed to be a problem for the band though, and very quickly they realized they were onto something, the “accidental turned purposeful,” according to the band. What ensued was an onslaught of singles, lots of cigarettes, power wheels, proms, and not very much basketball. Soon they were sharing stages with Wavves, Sheer Mag, Dirty Fences, and Sunflower Bean, playing venues like Bowery Ballroom and Bryant Park Summer Stage, and not to mention every hot show every time you turned your head in Brooklyn.
95 Bulls performing (photo by Kate Hoos)
Like a rusty buzzsaw dropped into an old grimy bathtub of reverb, 95 Bulls are like listening to The Von Zippers with a mouthful of quaaludes and pop rocks in equal measure. Often the main melody line focus bounces between vocals, and guitar riffs, and keys, almost hypnotically pulling your brain under its spell, erasing your memory and then punching you right in the face. Unarguably, Emily Ashenden (vocals) leads the charge with her Janis Joplin meets Mia Zapata style grit and growl, but if you’re a guitar nerd, guitarist Zach Inkley is probably the shredder that tickles all your soft spots. At its core, Zach Butler (drums) and Dom Bodo (bass) are lock-stepped into the rhythmic pocket forming the true spine of the operation. For me personally, however, it’s really Kayla Asbell (keys) that provides the band’s signature as it’s that organ that immediately clues you in that you are indeed hearing 95 Bulls usually even before Ashenden’s distinctive vocals start.
95 Bulls performing (photo by Kate Hoos)
At times satisfyingly frantic, the record is rife with killer freakout tracks like “Crazy” and “Trichotillomania.” But for every song that has you gladly tearing out all your body hair and pow-pow-power wheeling yourself to the nearest bodega to slam a Red Bull and a bag of chips, the band birthed from beneath the bowels of popular live music spot Our Wicked Lady also delivers one like “Your Dad’s Watch” that explores darker grooves and heavier elements, leaving you lyrically a little terrified.
However, what this old punk rocker probably finds most impressive lies in the jammier loopier tracks like “Young Love” and “Red Nails.” Despite leaning hard here into a sonic area that can easily tread into boring and unremarkable repetitive jam band territory, 95 Bulls somehow sidesteps this entirely by creating a sense of urgency and purpose, clocking even their jam songs all in well under three minutes.
Go Home is an impressively solid debut from a band that was never supposed to happen. This Brooklyn ensemble of lovable misfits found themselves a musical conduit for their creative reservoirs and found each other when there was no outlet for live music. The songs themselves seek to connect rather than isolate. In these strange times, 95 Bulls doesn’t ignore the heaviness around them, but at the same time they find a way to embrace having fun amidst the madness. And we can certainly all use more of that.
Go Home was self released and is available on all major streaming platforms. Catch the band Aug 10th at Market Hotel with Namesake and LA Witch.
Scroll down for pics from the release show for Go Home (photos by Kate Hoos)
95 BULLS
