toyGuitar
Ready for some reprieve from the blistering heat of summer? Well, Fat Wreck Chords has the solution: a cool sonic script called Move Like a Ghost from the California combo toyGuitar! On the heels of their first full-length—In This Mess—toyGuitar continue to ride a massive wave of acclaim with the brand new EP, Move Like a Ghost. The band is built on the sunny vocals of Jack Dalrymple (whom you know and love from his long tenure in Swingin’ Utters), who dragged his Utters cohort Miles Peck into the mix. The two eventually recruited their sometime Re-Volts band mate Paul Oxborrow (“In the grand and time-honored tradition of band incest,” cracks Paul). To accompany the fuzzy vox, bouncy bass, and jangly guitars, the boys looked south from their Bay Area environs and pulled in the driving drum beats of Los Angeles sticks maven Rosie Gonce.
After wrapping up 2015 with their first ever visit to Japan as part of Fat Wreck Chords’ massive 25th Anniversary festival show, the band quickly decided to lay down some new tracks that they had been tinkering with. As Jack explains, “We recorded the Move Like a Ghost EP with our bud, and all-around ruler, Chris Dugan over in Oakland, Ca. at Jingletown. We wrote it because we all loved the idea of a 10-inch at 45 RPM. It sounds ruling and it kinda fits our whole, not wanting to play longer than 30 min vibe, too. I personally love short and sweet records.” The six songs on Move Like a Ghost are the perfect dose of toyGuitar’s unique blend of fuzzy garage rock, ‘70s proto-punk, and undeniably melodic pop.
More than just a continuation of their first album, Move Like a Ghost sees toyGuitar succinctly dial in all the sweet spots of their brand of referential and innovative rock ‘n’ roll. Dalrymple expands “I think collectively what we bring to the table and the way we are on stage together, is reflective of people that love being around each other. We trust and support one another, through the good and the bad.” Move Like a Ghost delivers all the charms that toyGuitar have become known for, with some pensive moments thrown in along the way. Dalrymple says, “There’s a song called ‘Swan’ on the record, which encapsulates the sentiment of loving who you perform with perfectly. There’s a song about my friend Heiko Schrepel (One Man Army) called ‘Turn It Around,’ which was super hard for me to write. After they were recorded, I found the whole experience to be very cathartic.”
More than an EP, Move Like a Ghost is a fully formed, perfectly executed six-song record. Together, the four members of toyGuitar collaborated to churn out the most blissed-out, beautiful rock ‘n’ roll record you’ll hear all year.