Loose Articles - “Dirty Dick’s Food and Ale Emporium”

SXSW 2023 - OEB Score: 7; Popularity Index: 3

Pairs Well With…Panic Shack, Wet Leg, Le Tigre

While mixing jangly garage pop with rugged surf rock, Loose Articles are really a punk band at their core. There’s a loose, DIY vibe on their two EPs, 2019’s Orchid Lounge and last year’s Chaos, often in flux between dark seriousness and rambunctious cacophony instead of a straight, classic punk sound. That open approach gives a riot grrrl energy, a callback to the past while still fully sounding like themselves. The English band could even be described as post-punk in their more experimental tracks like “Buses” and “Dirty Dick’s Food and Ale Emporium”, jumping off a riff-based platform into something weirder and ultimately more interesting. It’s Loose Articles ability to surprise throughout their catalog that really makes them stand out, a factor that will elevate their three scheduled showcases from Monday opening for New Order at ACL at the Moody Theater to Saturday at Swan Dive opening a stacked lineup for Now Wave. (Kevin McStravick)