Comprised of Aaron Lloyd Barr (vocals, guitar), who doubles as a visual artist by day; Eric Arikian (bass), a member of Let’s Be Loveless and Ben Reynolds (drums), a member of Slang King, Del Caesar is a New York-based indie rock trio that specializes in a power chord riff and anthemic hook-driven, swaggering garage rock sound, adding themselves to a growing list of both locally and nationally known acts, including the likes of High Waisted, Raccoon Fighter, White Mystery and others. And while possessing the necessary swagger that the genre requires, the band’s material is rooted not in the rock ‘n’ roll lifestyle but in ordinary, everyday experiences — relationship problems, having big ambitions and dreams, the working for the man doldrums, etc. paired with gritty and grungy riffs, a driving backbeat and howled lyrics, recorded in mono and straight to tape, as you’ll hear on “Like They Always Say,” the first single off the band’s forthcoming EP, EP 2 slated for a November 11, 2016 release through the band’s own label Reheated Spaghetti Records.
What I personally love about the single is the fact that much like their contemporaries, their material sounds as though it could have been recorded and released in 1965, down to its “nah, nah, nah” hook. And while drawing from the same youthful exuberance and spirit, the single manages to evoke the very basics of what rock ‘n’ roll always has been about — a bunch of cats hanging around, stumbling onto something that sounds kind of cool and pairing them with lyrics based on their own frustrations and observations.
