By: Liz Levine
Rating: 7/11

The New York Howl sound like Hell’s house band, rowdy, coaxing, and darkly energetic in a way that could tease the soul for all eternity, or at least get it dancing uncontrollably at a show. They in fact declare in one song, “I’m sorry I never told you I was insane,” which nicely sums up the devilish draw of their stomping Southern garage rock. Straightforwardly poppy, but with sly instead of boyish charm, they sound like The Beatles going through a strange, disorienting nightmare, with a dose of punk. Rifftastic bluesy rock guitar and sometimes taunting, sometimes sweet vocals set the tone, but what really chills the bones is the Mad Hatter saxophone, snarling with trickery and a tendency to rock.

The Kinks sounding “If We Can’t Get It Right Right Now” begins innocently enough with gently grating guitar and soft vocals before quickly exploding into a surfy punk song with the  baritone sax wailing its dark howl as the vocals bounce between snarling and cooing. “Signal to Noise” brings more reaper sax, this time over angry humming bass as pop culture references are thrown out by an increasingly maniacal narrator. Though the tone and lyrical content of their tracks certainly does touch on darker themes, overall The New York Howl achieve a pleasing wild energy rather than a somber death march – they’re devilish, but not at all gothic. Their live shows are rumored to be off the hook, and so it seems this is the best way to experience their rock ‘n’ roll treachery.