With a name as sharp as their sonic sensibilities, Watch Your Tone proves tonality is no afterthought in Mr. Struggle. The Los Angeles-based post-whatever trio—Andy Hoopes (guitar, vocals), Sam Thorne (bass, vocals), and Jenna Terranova (drums)—tear through rock’s lineage with a fuzz-soaked, sludgy surf punk charge that lands in the future of the genre. Sardonically subversive lyrics amplify the hook-rife hit’s immersive pull, with installations of power pop panache ensuring there’s just as much sugar as there is garagey grit.
Falling for the hype is effortless when a band can hammer out infectious earworms with this level of precision. Fans of Teenage Fanclub and The Wildhearts will find plenty to sink their teeth into, though Watch Your Tone’s ability to weaponise chaos into anthemic choruses is entirely their own.
If they hit this hard on record, the live experience must be nothing short of an intravenous shot of euphoria and adrenaline. Watch Your Tone were never made to be contained by the underground—Mr. Struggle is proof of that.
Mr. Struggle is now available to stream on all major platforms, including Spotify.
Review by Amelia Vandergast