Busses: Busses

There are plenty of markers in Busses’ sound — the hint of psych-rock in the bluesy, towering guitar riffs, the rhythmic experimentation, the proggy restlessness of nearly every song — but good luck giving what they do a name. There just flat-out isn’t a title to cover it all. Busses is as surprising and successful a debut as you are likely to hear this year. The trio pulls a lot out of a basic rock band set up, and takes it every direction possible. There’s the gut-rumbling rock of “Foundation Myth”, followed by the gliding pop of “Stationary”, leading into the absolutely chaotic, tangled rhythms of album standout “House Fire”. Those three songs mark your introduction to the band, but they don’t tell you what to expect, except to show you that you can’t expect anything. Because from there we get haunting fever dreams, quiet blue-light numbers, and soaring guitar heroics, and each tangent is as pitch-perfect and compelling as the last. “Get out while you can”, singer and songwriter Dave Brett warns us at one point, “this house is on fire”. But, honestly, you might be better off just hanging in there, because the sound of it all burning around you is just the kind of unpredictable noise you’ve been looking for.