Univox’s self-titled debut full length from Brooklyn indie label ROIR is a joyous rollercoaster ride through music history. I guess that you can call it Glam rock because it is quite theatrical and certainly rocks, but these aren’t posers smearing on makeup and tight outfits to somehow get the chicks (though drummer Kent Boersma has been known to dawn a dress). These are four young men brought together by the rock gods to twist the meaning of what they believe pop music is. With a sound that deserves to be heard through arena stacks, this quartet creates epic rock anthems, but it’s more than just power chords and guitar riffs from below the waist (well, opener “Pi” is a little bit). Led by their radio-ready vocals and the strong backbone drumming of Boersma, Univox combine monster pop hooks and straight-up pedal-to-the-floor rock with such theatrical flare that you can’t help but be swept away over the top with them.
Josh Jones’ baritone Bowie-esque vocals and the band’s impressive harmonies have you already hearing tracks like “Everybody Knows” and “You Don’t Know” on the radio (that is if you still listen to radio). “Lever Master City” embodies what I think of as the Univox sound: catchy pop hooks, strange mind-warping lyrics, steady rockin’ backbeat and guitars with gorgeous harmonies. When they drop into “die, don’t leave me alone/call me on the phone/phone make me at home/child to the wave then in the sand/light in your heart/your heart in my hand/holy master crow/who lives in a cage/letting him out in a couple of days/call to my throat/throat lend me a line/line in the salt/salt sand in my eyes/I’m seeing the sand/drop from the days/laying you out in different ways/child to the wave and in the sand/light in your heart/your heart in my hand,” it always brings a smile to my face. Did I already use the word “epic”? The band flexes their vocal muscles in the a cappella track “All This Blood Came From My Heart” which plays out like a sadistic operatic musical reminding you that Univox’s artistic vision far exceeds your normal everyday rock band. Predictable – Univox is not. “Conan” unexpectedly breaks out into an angry Devo dance party while album closer “Nobody’s That Smart” just leaves you wondering what these guys will do next. Long-awaited debut worth the wait. – Q.D. Tran