Drew Grow
is a singer and lyricist not afraid of the grand gesture or playing to the last row of the balcony, which is why he's a frontman. He's also not worried about sounding grandiose or a bit absurd; he's an indie rocker with the larger-than-life vibe of an arena rock star, even if the arenas aren't ready for him.
Grow
has a cult following for his work with the bands
Modern Kin
and
Drew Grow and the Pastors' Wives
, but he's found a bigger stage to show off his swagger on the debut album from
Slang
, 2022's
Cockroach in a Ghost Town
.
co-founded
with
Janet Weiss
, the celebrated drummer who has worked with
Sleater-Kinney
,
Quasi
, and
Wild Flag
, and with
Anita Lee Elliot
(formerly of
Viva Voce
) on lead guitar and
Kathy Foster
(of
the Thermals
Roseblood
) on bass, he's part of what could reasonably called a Pacific Northwest indie supergroup. While the buzzy guitars, angular but pop-infused melodies, layers of electronic seasoning, and deliberate rhythms don't sound out of character for
Weiss
or
Foster
, it's the sheer brio of
's vocals that puts him at center stage on this album, and he's a good ringmaster for this particular rock & roll circus. He delivers larger-than-life pomp on "Wilder," deep echoey cool on "King Gunn," shows off his high notes on the
Bowie
-esque "Wrong Wrong Wrong," and makes like he's the star of his own little blockbuster on the title track.
is lucky that his bandmates can deliver music strong and distinctive enough to support his ambitions, especially the clean, clear harmony vocals, the cinematic keyboard fills, and
' big, decisive drumming. (They also get some help from guest stars
Stephen Malkmus
Mary Timony
Sam Coomes
, the latter two already familiar with
from their other projects together.) Hopefully
's next album will give
's bandmates a bit more room to shine, but
reveals this group have talent and ideas to spare, and this is indie rock that makes the most of its eccentricities. ~ Mark Deming