The Broken Bicycles: Physics of Sound

My friends in The Broken Bicycles have a new EP called Physics of Sound. Though some tracks are streaming now, a new world is just on the horizon. With a holiday show, this batch of reworked songs are coming out on Valentine’s Day, and for those who think they know the band, they’ll want to take another listen.

Initially a two-piece – made up of now husband and wife team Thomas Maddux and Turkeyes Laffity – the group has shifted, mutated, and reshaped itself from folksy byways of banjo, ukulele, and melodica to a four-piece that is every bit as punkish, rock & roll, and pop as one can get. The guitar stirs, the bass pulsates, and the drums throb, and all of this is wrapped in Laffity’s rich, intense voice.

Their talent comes off breezily because it trades on the foundations of popular music’s development. Physics of Sound is reminiscent without being nostalgic, music for now, yet aware of its links and how it fits in the chain. It’s making music to play down the alleyways of dreams.

Acknowledging their roots as a small, low-fi band, Physics of Sound is a push to the soul. More than their other work, there is glass in their teeth here and these innovations make for their greatest outing to date.

Hopefully this teaser will earn the band greater visibility since it reshapes not only their place in the Minnesota music scene, but also recontextualizes what is happening in that music scene now. Minnesota needs Physics of Sound and The Broken Bicycles’ energy. What this EP indicates they are capable of, The Broken Bicycles are ready to prove one lick at a time.

anobium, broken bicycles, chicago, garrett tiedemann, minnesota, physics of sound, slider, thomas maddux, turkeyes laffity