Sons of Silver
By Mike O’Cull
Los Angeles quintet Sons of Silver are poised to become rock music’s next batch of saviors by virtue of the group’s smashing new EP Ordinary Sex Appeal. Out on April 29th, 2022, the self-produced set refines the rock and roll formula and makes it vital and relevant all over again.
Band members Pete Argyropoulos (vocals, guitar), Brina Kabler (keys, vocals), Kevin Haaland (lead guitar), Adam Kury (bass), and Dave Krusen (drums) co-wrote and tracked the five songs presented here over the summer and fall of 2020 at their private studio in an effort to overcome their upended year and pandemic isolation. The band drew inspiration and a sense of angst from the current events of that time and wrote quickly, creating music that’s hard and real. Keyboardist Brina Kabler engineered the sessions but, due to her maternity leave, John Fields (Soul Asylum, Miley Cyrus, Switchfoot, Jimmy Eat World) mixed the project and took it across the finish line.
Sons of Silver is a rock and roll band in the truest sense of the term. The five musicians feed off of the nose-to-nose, up-close energy of rock created in small, sweaty rooms filled with dedicated fans on the brink of explosion. Their sound isn’t the phony, auto-tuned, copy-and-paste limpness of the digital world but rather the emotive and dangerous grind of real, live people playing in the same room, getting their ya-yas out. This bare-knuckle approach has been successful for SoS, allowing them to rack up five million views on YouTube and occupy three spots on the Billboard Active Rock Chart with their previous Doomsday Noises EP. They make the kind of music rock fans respond to and their impact gets larger every day.
Like all great EPs, each track on Ordinary Sex Appeal kills and can stand on its own. “Who’s Gonna Stop Us” is a certified blaster that blends modern lyrical tension with a New Wave-tinged sound and Pete Argyropoulos’ quirky, low-toned vocals. Pete has a bit of Iggy Pop in his style and his manic, nervous energy will leave you flat on the floor. Meanwhile, the guitars crunch, the bass runs rampant, and the drums run like wild horses over the hills. No one in the band is phoning in anything and their velocity is perfect and beautiful.
Listen to “Who’s Gonna Stop us”
The driving “ReEducation” is anthemic and Orwellian, putting down a cynical political rant about the unsettling practice of teaching the masses what Big Power needs them to believe. Argyropoulos has a way of getting under the skin with his choice of words and delivery that’s free of cliches and magnetic. He speaks his own hard Truth over the top of a raging band and will leave you overwhelmed and wanting more. This kind of muscular, intelligent, and relevant songwriting is in short supply in the often party-focused world of rock and roll but needs to exist for the good of us all. Contemplate the difference between The Clash and Green Day to understand why.
“Hesitate” is a brilliantly-written, wall-punching wail of protest executed without the least scrap of apology. Over a pounding groove, Argyropoulos delivers another high-strung screed, this time directed at those who are turning “MLK’s dream upside down.” He keeps saying he hesitates to provoke, join that crowd, and take a swing but never says that he won’t. His mantra of “I warned you” becomes more threatening each time it comes around and he really puts out the feeling of any one of us losing control. Other shining moments here include “With You” and “Cause Of My Pain.” Ordinary Sex Appeal is a pivotal release for rock fans circa 2022, verbalizing what needs to be done and providing the backside kick needed to make it happen. Snap it up and join the movement.
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