![News Added Jan 12, 2015 At least in some part to geographical circumstance, Amherst, MA four-piece California X has had to spend the early part of their career in the shadows of a host of other Western Mass bands, both past and present. To be sure, frontman Lemmy Gurtowsky has cribbed his share of licks […]](https://hasitleaked.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/calif-320x320.jpeg "California X : Nights In The Dark")
At least in some part to geographical circumstance, Amherst, MA four-piece California X has had to spend the early part of their career in the shadows of a host of other Western Mass bands, both past and present. To be sure, frontman Lemmy Gurtowsky has cribbed his share of licks from J Mascis and Black Francis. And despite the fact that engineering duties for their new LP Nights in the Dark were handled by Justin Pizzoferrato (who's also manned the boards for Dinosaur Jr., Speedy Ortiz, and a Thurston Moore solo record), that record's title track does a whole lot to highlight California X's differences from the other indie rock acts that inhabit their corner of the world.
Sludgy intro aside, "Nights in the Dark" emphasizes the anthemic spirit at the heart of the best tracks on their self-titled record. Rip the scuzzy guitars and breakneck speeds from hardcore and pair with adenoidal vocal heroics that might otherwise remind you of Japandroids' Brian King or another famous Lemmy, and it becomes clear that California X ascribes to the fist-raised school of indie rock rather than that of stoned disaffection. So look past the flailing guitar solos and cymbal-heavy percussive crunch, Dinosaur Jr. Jr. this is not.
