There is documentation of creative longevity and then there’s Bunnygrunt, whose sixteen plus years as a band (give or take a few) has gained them notoriety in the areas of lo-fi rock, indie pop and 90s pop-punk. This band’s latest effort is Matt Harnish & Other Delights, a record that takes its name from so-called main Grunter man Matt Harnish, the other half being that of Karen Ried (possibly the ‘other delights?).

Other Delights features an array of pop influence, from their core 90s sound to the same dating back decades and including all of that which is in between. You’ll hear hints at Bunnygrunt contemporaries from their earliest of days (just pre, with Vaselines) in “Don’t Turn Down The High”. You’ll enjoy punk worthy “Shotgun”, and several pop heavy greats like “665 & 1/2 Won’t Do” and “S.Kingshighway Bubblegum Factory”.

This is an album that might put a question mark in your eyebrows from the get-go; it’s one that you have to sit on for a listen or two. Given a short amount of time, you’ll see beyond the simple hooks and upbeat… beats. You’ll hear the swirling cacophony in “Fix It, Because You Can”, you’ll fall in love with the noise-ridden solo guitar in “Don’t Turn Down The High”, and the poppy rock-centric “Where Eagles Dare, Part II” will rocket to the front of your playlist of repeated songs.

But perhaps the most cherishing element of this album is how flat-out amazing it is. Sure, this sound has plenty of traces of bands and genres that you may know and love. The band knows best, labeling their influences as “60s pop, 70s rock, 80s punk, 90s indie rock” and they round it off with a “00s ??”. It’s an array of genres that, when mashed together, sum something epic. That being Bunnygrunt.

Bunnygrunt: Don’t Turn Down The High [mp3]

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Happy Happy Birthday To Me Records [CD, 2009]

1. 665 & 1/2 Won’t Do
2. the Limits of Southern Hospitality
3. Shotgun
4. 1000% Not Creepy
5. Don’t Turn Down the High
6. S.Kingshighway Bubblegum Factory
7. Fix It Because You Can
8. Where Eagles Dare Part II
9. You Get What You Get
10. Southtown Famous