Especially in their respective genre’s salad days, too many garage rockers and punks alike have inadvertently honored the unofficial “live fast die young” creed. But in recent times, some of the elder statesmen seem to only be having more fun as they’ve matured. And we’re not just talking about Iggy Pop. No, for the sake of this argument, and without trying to come off as ageist, let’s look at those who were young punks themselves back in the ’80s.
Folks like the four veteran rockers behind Frogmouth. They may be well-seasoned players of the local scene and beyond, but Frogmouth itself as an institution is hardly out of the tadpole phase. That hasn’t stopped these rowdy polliwogs from padding out a middle ground between classic acts like Velvet Underground and The Replacements and fresher threads to Rancid and The Strokes, all for an amphibious ecosystem of grungy, power-alt-garage-indie-punk rock that never takes itself too seriously.
Frogmouth’s spent much of 2023 ribbiting singles out onto streaming, all ahead of their debut EP Humor Me, which finally drops this weekend. The quartet headlines an all-ages release show Saturday night at The Mohawk starting 8PM with openers Space Cushion, Dropped Out, and Ne’er-Do-Well. So if you’re feelin’ froggy, hop on out there. If you’re more of a home toad, you can at least defy titles by cranking “Not Listening” up to 11, because this near-four-minute dynamic leap across retro power temperaments will activate your inner angsty teen in the best, catchiest way possible.