Explaining what “Indie rock” means is like trying to define postmodernism – if you ask ten different people, you’ll likely get ten different responses. It’s a nebulous term that applies more to an idea than a sound. At its essence, it can apply to any guitar or instrument-driven music released on an independent record label. Still, its cultural signifiers include a particular aesthetic: lo-fi production and sound that isn’t overly polished, ripped jeans, unkempt hair, tattoos, and a post-punk edge. You know it when you hear it.
Brooklyn’s own Skorts, a new band making waves in the North Brooklyn/Lower Manhattan circuit, wouldn’t sound out of place on a Sub Pop or Matador Records mix tape from the mid-90s. They sound like they’ve been doing this for years, even though, so far, their output has been a handful of singles and a string of raucous live shows. The best way to describe their sound is, well, Indie. Here’s an echoey vocal reminiscent of PJ Harvey. There’s a tastefully reverb-heavy hypnotic guitar riff reminiscent of Silversun Pickups. Here’s a smoky number that slinks around like a Morphine record. There’s a post-disco drum pattern ala !!! (pron: Chk Chk Chk).
It’s a heady sound that’s both retro and refreshing – just because guitar-based rock isn’t played on the radio doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist. Skorts would have been at home in the 90s. They sound like they’ve all listened to the same Velvet Underground, Joy Division, Television, and Led Zeppelin records that the colossi of the alternative heyday wore on their sleeves, but they’re a generation or two younger. It’s exciting to hear this style of rock played again and played so compellingly. Even though Skorts is new enough not to have an EP or LP release, it’s only a matter of time before they start playing venues that have more than one bar.
