The Routes are readying their new LP Mesmerized for release on April 9th via Action Weekend Records/Bickerton Records. Steeped in ’60s style garage rock with plenty of punk chops added for good measure, the band features the Scottish-born, Japanese-based guitarist/vocalist/songwriter Chris Jack. On the new album, the musician is joined by project alums, drummer Bryan Styles and bassist Toru Nishimuta. Recorded in Japan and England, Mesmerized was also mixed and mastered by Jack.
On “Broken Goods,” the album opener, the rhythm section of Styles and Nishimuta kick things off with an energetic groove before Jack sets everything on fire with the blazing blare of his guitar. Displaying plenty of acidic “wah” and with bass and drums adding a psychedelic churn, the sound on this cut is vintage, ’60s-style garage. However, somewhere between a cool disdain and a menacing sneer, Jack’s vocals also add plenty of punk attitude as the singer skewers consumer society as a pile of broken goods.
