In 2007, the ACBs released their self-titled record. It was an upbeat pop record full of catchy hooks. A follow up was eagerly anticipated, but things fell quiet in the young band’s camp. Years passed and two members left. Frontman Konnor Ervin even admitted he was lacking motivation to dive into the next record. 
But Ervin finally made it into the studio and as he started writing, he found new musicians to join him bassist Bryan McGuire in the band. The Abracadabras‘ Kyle Rausch joined on drums and Ghosty‘s Andrew Connor came on with guitar and additional vocals.Now, over three years later, The ACBs have returned with Stona Rosa.
Stona Rosa isn’t quite as straightforward pop-friendly as the band’s previous release, and the record does lack a cohesiveness that can at times be infuriating. However, this isn’t a record to skip – just don’t go into it expecting the ACBs self-titled part deux.
The album starts with a count off into a jangly pop tune about loving Italian girls, but before you ladies start crushing on these guys, take heed of the lyrics on the next track, “Street Fighter II.” On this staccato-guitar heavy song the lyrics sneak from lying in bed with a woman to quietly trying to play video games. Oh, boys.
The band is really at its best when it is singing the upbeat indie pop tunes like album stand outs “Be Professional,” “Boy Like Me” and “My Face.” “Be Professional” is like a self-motivation speech. “This could be it. I can’t believe what’s been said,” it sings. “So be professional.” The warm, organic vocals circle over a bass drum stomp then a clap. It’s catchy, interesting, memorable and some of the band’s best work to date.Some of the band’s other best work is on “Boy Like Me,” which seems to capture the enthusiasm of rediscovering the possibility of love after a depressing – the depressing break up can be found in “It Sure Looks Dark and Cold,” the track prior to “Boy Like Me.” With big drums and a really cool vocal layering effect to spit out “girl like you” and “boy like me” rapidly, this is a song guaranteed to get people up and dancing. There’s no way not to love this song.
The album does seem to lose some steam toward the end. While, lyrically “Ol Boy” has an interesting thought process on aging, it isn’t instrumentally memorable. “I Wonder” has too much of a musical range gap with high-pitched vocals over a bass line to make it a go-to track.And the album closer, “Neon Light,” does capture the idea of walking dark streets after bars closed with just the flickering of neon signs for company with its jazzy sound and muted trumpet wail, but it just seems so out of place. It goes back to that cohesiveness thing, which is the primary criticism of the album.
Stona Rosa is a lyrically interesting album, which still has plenty of the pop gems the band is known for, but still has some style surprises that fans might love or be completely lost by. The new members left a definite imprint on this record that alone makes checking out Stona Rosa worth it.
The ACBs will celebrate Stona Rosa‘s release this Saturday, November 27, at the Record Bar in Kansas City at 7 p.m. They’ll also be heading to Lawrence on December 11 to play the Noise for Toys charity show at the Bottleneck.
“Be Professional”
“Boy Like Me”
Track Listing:
01. Italian Girls
02. Street Fighter II
03. Be Professional
04. Hold Phone
05. It Sure Looks Dark and Cold
06. Boy Like Me
07. My Face
08. Ol Boy
09. I Wonder
10. Neon Light
