Richmond’s Keith Varadi has been making saw-blade guitar garble as Picayune for the past four years. Varadi’s latest release, Summer Bummer, is a scorched tango down the bowels of Americana. Moaning, motion sick, indecipherable at times, Varadi may have written the best shitgaze record since the term’s inception.
Picayune nestles itself nicely in the current cocktail of buzzing lo-fi acts, yet with the name Summer Bummer, I imagine that he seeks to smother the beach vibes in ambivalent blues feedback. Which is just how it should be. Imagine (if you will) if Dylan was raised in Pittsburgh, never got famous, and had an affinity for the Garageband interface, metalwork and Black Sabbath.
Ambling down the interstate, unrecognized in the cracks, give “Narc City” a listen and realize that bleeding eardrums are all part of the fun.
Summer Bummer is out now on Feeding Tube Records.
