Judging by the music of the Serfs, the band’s hometown of Cincinnati, Ohio is a destroyed, post-industrial wasteland.
While they are retro to the point of the antediluvian, the trio of Dylan McCartney (vocals, percussion, guitar, bass, electronics), Dakota Carlyle (electronics, bass, guitar, vocals) and Andie Luman (vocals, synths) enshroud their latest single “Electric Like an Eel” into more of a post-punk wallop than new wave preen. Driven by a worthy grinding bassline and snarling Iggy-style vocals, the four minutes of “Electric Like an Eel” slithers by too quickly. The overall effect is one of monophonic synths on parade, with ersatz cowbell and gated percussion nearly dominating the proceedings, pushing the song into its collapsing exit.
Catchy and worthy of a replay, on the second single from their forthcoming new album Half Eaten By Dogs, the Serfs offer to rock and rule the dystopian age—simultaneously gaining bonus points for using the descriptor “heathenish vision” in their press release.
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