Douglas Shields & the X-Factors, “S/T” 7-inch

cover-dsxfDouglas Shields & the X-Factors
Douglas Shields & the X-Factors
(Jeremy Records)

Thank God – a band from Gainesville that doesn’t play ska or ‘Org core. I love bands like Less Than Jake and Hot Water Music, but that “Gainesville” sound was starting to drag me down and think the town was incable of anything else. But here comes Douglas Shields & the X-Factors (henceforth referred to as DSXF), knocking out fuzzy indie punk that sounds like a more aggressive Weakerthans.

You can hear that propulsive Gainesville pulse behind everything, but the vocals and lack of hardcore tuning on the guitars make DSXF a far more upbeat listen that their Floridian punk counterparts. Honestly, this is the sort of record I like to throw on for an overcast sort of day. The vocals are a little downbeat on first listen, but don’t have to be considered depressing.

“I thought that I forgot how to thaw in the sun / But under the ice there’s nowhere to run” in “Beach Volleyball” could be taken as defeatist, but paired with an instrumental passage that races along, the song takes on a sense of breaking free of the winter doldrums and revelling in the spring’s warmth. It’s that gloriously fuzzed-out guitar that makes DSXF’s self-titled 7-inch such a positive experience.

The record is limited to a pressing of 200 on black vinyl, with hand-screened covers in purple/glitter (30), green (70), and black (100). Go buy a copy from Jeremy Records’ store at Limited Pressing.