On The Verge

Guards

New York, N.Y.
Pop Wave Doom
www.facebook.com/guardsband

When guitarist/singer Richie Follin formed Guards in 2010, he described the band’s approach as “pop wave doom.” Though their sound has already gone through several distinct stylistic periods in that short span of time, the trio’s full-length debut In Guards We Trust maintains those roots: a mix of throwback power-pop, chillwave shoe-gazing and doom-inspired, psychedelic punk. “I haven’t stopped writing since we released our EP [in 2010],” Follin admits. “I probably have three to four albums worth of songs. We went through a heavier period and even finished an album that we never put out—we can release a serious B-side album.” Follin is part of a musical family; his stepfather played guitar in White Zombie and his sister leads the ‘60s-inspired garage rock band Cults. For their full-length, Guards cherry-picked their favorite elements of The Pixies, ELO and modern psychedelic revivalists like Ariel Pink, MGMT and Tame Impala. The album is eclectic but cohesive. And despite their independent spirit and knack for hard-rock jams, Follin thinks of their music as soulful pop. “To me, our songs sound super commercial,” he says. “It is just a matter of how you interpret them.”