Sobs - “Air Guitar"

SXSW 2023 - OEB Score: 7; Popularity Index: 6

Pairs Well With…Best Coast, Alvvays, Olivia Rodrigo

Catchy, breezy, and driving, Singapore rock/pop band Sobs find earworm appeal across their latest record Air Guitar. While there’s a punk energy on their sophomore album, Sobs sound warm and sweet executing their hooky songwriting track to track. It’s a tight collection that rides along a singular lane, consistently crafted songs of memorable choruses without sounding like they’ve been filtered through a pop lens and losing a sense of garage ambition. Lush but never overdone, Air Guitar is accessible but not paint-by-numbers, sugary but not bitter. Combine that with riffs that could be lifted from 70s, 80s, or 90s hits at any given moment, Sobs is able to broaden their sound without ever falling off a cliff. (Kevin McStravick)