Hey Guys Remember The 90s?: Hunting Pigeons

So…the 90s are back. Well, that’s what it seems like anyways, though part of me still thinks folks talking about the 90s being back drowns out the fact they haven’t really come back yet or, worse, never really left (ever talk to a college student about Doug?). Still, the signs are there, starting with Wavves turn towards mall punk last year and progressing this year courtesy of The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart’s Smashing Pumpkins fetish and the general existence of Yuck. Hunting Pigeons seem to be angling for something similar, the HearJapan page about their debut album playing up ties to “college rock” and “alternative radio.” It’s not all marketing magic, though, as I can hear hints of alt-rock in their music. The likes of “Decade In Crusade” and the easy-going “Box Full Of Vinyls” bring to mind the sort of catchy fare that dominated my Dad’s radio back in the day, the latter reminding me of Pavement but not because of wacky lyrics but because of a slacker energy radiating out of it. Good stuff, but towering above everything else Hunting Pigeons has released is “Like A Eunuch.” Whereas some of their songs come off like a tween who just saw Pulp Fiction for the first time in 2011, “Eunuch” could be a lost relic of those alt-radio days, anchored by a chorus both catchy and just waiting to be dissected by bong-side philosophers. Listen here.