Lowbanks proves they’re Atlanta’s next punk power player with their fearless new EP, The Dogs, loaded to the brim with infectious, garage-rock fuzz and wildly danceable hooks. Singer and guitarist John Graffo’s gruff-yet-melodic vocals tear through intricate drum bits by Grey Duddleston, as Christian Self slams on the bass with flawless precision. They’re not just your average southeastern grunge group, though – listen closely and you’ll hear a 90s rock flair that’s all their own, never sounding forced or artificial. “With The Dogs we just wanted to write some high-energy stuff we could have fun playing. We used to agonize over song structures and shit, but these days we just play what we think sounds good,” John explains. Produced by Trey Rosenkampff (Chief Scout, Concord America) and recorded in the home studio of David Shepherd (Bad Shepherd Audio), the record retains that extra punch of homemade garage fervor. The influence of genres ranging from modern psychedelic garage-punk to early 90s power pop is clear, especially on standout tracks like “Treatz,” which prove you can be a badass grunge rocker and still write a fun, stuck-in-your-head-all-day kind of love song. “When John or I come in with a riff or lyrics, we always think we have a pretty good idea where its going to go as a whole, but then one of us will throw a wrench in it and change everything,” Christian says of writing their infectious tracks. “It's really fun seeing where we can take things.” Lowbanks formed in early 2013 after the collapse of the trio’s previous project and instantly began taking the Atlanta scene by storm – a scene Grey describes as “weird and confusing in the best way - I love it.” See Lowbanks at one of their city haunts, and you’ll be an addict: Lowbanks performances are consistently thrilling, yet chill in that “good acid trip” kind of way; new-wave punk, yet oh-so early 90s nostalgic. So what’s to come for this foot stomping, hard playing, mosh-inducing musical powerhouse? Besides writing a new record and planning tours for next year, they’ve clearly got a little mischief in mind. “As far as the future goes, I just want to keep having fun playing music with these guys and see where that can take us, even If I have to keep working a shit job on top of that,” Christian says. “I’m having the most fun doing this and I’m fine with it.” What could be more refreshing in such a greedy, money-hungry world? But the bigger question is, what could be more punk rock? It’s high time everyone indulge in this crew’s “treatz” - you’d be insane not to. - Kate Foster <a href="https://www.last.fm/music/Lowbanks">Read more on Last.fm</a>. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.