The Quaildogs bring something special to the table, that’s for sure. They seamlessly blend the gently earnest tone and harmonies of today’s hipster folk with the casual, back-handed irony of ’90s alt-rock. The end result is deliciously sharp. The Getting Old Factory begins with a hopeful chord, those trendy tambourines, and firmly puts us in our place:
I cook my food in a microwave
Think about all the time I saved
Haven’t left my apartment in days
But something tells me that the world still looks the same
The lyrics might seem more at home with distorted guitars and a shot glass, but the Quaildogs’ irrepressible determination to be unhappy makes it work. Somehow, the Quaildogs avoid irony. They capture the impatience of the early 20s (“Oh, shit — is this all there is? For the rest of my life? For real?”) with a resigned fatalism. Unlike their ’90s counterparts (and perhaps a little too in line with us millenials), they accept the drudgery of early adulthood without a fight. But The Getting Old Factory is more affirming than it is a downer. Maybe it’s because the lyrics are just so damn smart. With most of the songs clocking in at above 4 minutes, the album is one of those rare instances were rock’n’roll is elevated to something that is — dare I say — beautiful, intentional, and artistic. The Getting Old Factory is one of the best albums I’ve come across this year. READ HERE…
