Kelli Mayo and Peyton Bighorse, step-siblings and leading members of Skating Polly, add Veruca Salt to the family with their latest release New Trick. Though only three songs, the EP hints at a fresh, exciting direction for the Washington-based group.
The rise of Skating Polly is something of a DIY fairy tale. Kelli and Mayo come from meek beginnings—they played their first show at a family Halloween party in 2009 and recorded their debut record in their living room. From there, they gained a fairy godmother in Exene Cervanka of punk band X after she attended one of their gigs in their hometown of Oklahoma City, which lead to her producing their sophomore album Lost Wonderfuls. Along the way, they’ve picked up high-profile friends and fans, such as Wayne Cohen and Kliph Scrulock of the Flaming Lips, British musician Kate Nash, and the members of Wavves. In the age of the SoundCloud internet star, this kind of IRL, rags-to-rock-star trajectory feels pleasantly old-fashioned. With a sound that would be at home among the grunge bands of the riot grrrl movement, listening to Skating Polly is like taking a time machine back to the 1990s. Ironically, Mayo and Bighorse weren’t even around for this era— in fact, Kelli just celebrated her 17th birthday.
The EP highlights this blending of old, new, borrowed, and blue, with the growly guitar of “Hail Mary” reminiscent of early Sleater-Kinney, while the dissonant harmonies throughout seem to be in dialogue with the vocal quality that has brought recent acclaim to indie-pop duo Girlpool. That said, the tracks are unique, inventive, and instantly listenable. With its anthemic refrain and beachy undertones, opening track “Louder In Outer Space” has already carved out a place on my summer playlist.
In the past, Skating Polly have tried on many different hats. On this effort with Louise Post and Nina Gordon of recently reunited Veruca Salt, the partnership highlights the grunge roots Vercua Salt is famous for. For a band whose reputation is steeped in youthfulness and naivety, this release showcases a focus and maturity that is somewhat rare for Skating Polly. All in all, New Trick is a catchy EP, and perhaps a heads-up to look out for some new tricks from Skating Polly in the future.
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