Artist: Mean Tikes
Song: Break
Recorded at Handlebar, December 23, 2013.
Mean Tikes - BreakFull review to follow. Paul Lawton is taking a break from his Ketamines project, but there's no word right now if this is a pause or a stop. But in the meantime, four-fifths of that band's most recent lineup are now playing together as Mean Tikes [sic]. The Robert Smith eyeliner they took the stage with gives a hint of the sonic pivot here, veering from garage-y nuggets to Thatcher-era NME fodder. Newcomer Mike McKeever (who also plays in Pink Wine alongside Joel French) is the difference-maker in that regard, supplying liquid lead lines that glide instead of chug. The band has already been in the studio, so expect to see a 7" emerge in short order.