Album Review By Josh Hudson / March 25, 2020 On their sophomore album Bullies, the Seattle-based rock band Acid Tongue present nine lean and well-honed pop rock songs clocking in at just over half an hour, but the duo covers a lot of ground in these 30 minutes.The album opener, “Follow the Witch” serves as a statement of intent, with guitarist/singer/songwriter Guy Keltner’s psychedelic-influenced guitars and soulful vocal delivery pushing the song forward over drummer/vocalist Ian Cunningham’s backing vocals and beats that hold everything together.Despite officially being a two-piece, the band does not let this (seeming) limitation impact their studio work. While the primary instrumentation on the album is guitar, bass, and vocals (already one instrument more than members to play them). It doesn’t take long for piano and keyboards to show up and play a prominent role on songs like “Bullies,” “Forty Years,” and “Jenny Lewis” (a song which also seems to serve as a nod to the Rilo Kiley frontwoman, whose second solo album shares the same name as the band). Even string arrangements appear on “Bullies” and “Liars,” adding a degree of compositional complexity to otherwise straightforward and simple pop rock songs. When playing live, the band typically expands their lineup to capture and convey these instrumental layers. While most of the songs are typically at a mid-tempo, the band does pick up the pace for the rocker “Walk Don’t Run,” a song that also shows off Keltner’s lead guitar capabilities. This track stands in stark contrast to others like the doo-wop thump of “Sometimes” or the album’s dreamy closer “Am I (The Only One).”Thematically, the bands lyrics will not be inspiring any master’s theses, but they do speak in a relatable way to the difficulties human interaction and relationships can present (as alluded to by the album’s title). This includes themes of unrequited love, social ostracization, growing older, and rebelliousness in reaction to these feelings.For anyone who enjoys guitar-driven pop rock, as well the poppy-er aspects of the Black Keys (with a less obvious blues rock influence) and the 2000s era indie feel of early entries in Kings of Leon discography, this album is absolutely worth your time, especially in a world becoming more dominated by electronic music where the “pop” and “rock” genres see less and less overlap.Bullies was released on March 13, 2020 on the band’s on label, Freakout Records. Acid TongueBulliesReleased: 2020 Buy Vinyl Track Listing:1. Follow the Witch2. Candy3. Bullies4. Jenny Lewis5. Liars6. Walk Don't Run7. Track Name8. Sometimes9. Am I (The Only One) Listen Listen Listen Additional Resources Additional Resources AdditionalResources To learn more about Acid Tongue, please see the following web resources:WebpageFacebookInstagramTwitterYouTubeSpotify Related Articles Related Articles Related Articles Album Review – Growroom Interpretations Vol. 1 : Cure for Pain – Morphine Cover AlbumRead More Album Review: S.G. Goodman – Old Time FeelingRead More Album Review: My Morning Jacket – The Waterfall IIRead More Album Review: Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs – VisceralsRead More Album Review: Pearl Jam – GigatonRead More Album Review: Acid Tongue – BulliesRead More Album Review: Guided By Voices – Surrender Your Poppy FieldRead More Book Review: Doomed to Fail – The Incredibly Loud History of Doom, Sludge, and Post-MetalRead More Black Mountain Rocks Out the Black CatRead More New Pornographers Rock a Sold-Out Crowd at the 9:30 ClubRead More Russian Circles Performs To The Faithful At Union StageRead More Album Review: Lightning Bolt – Sonic CitadelRead More Album Review: Boris – LφVE & EVφLRead More Album Review: !!! – WallopRead More Album Review: The Hold Steady – Thrashing Thru the PassionRead More Album Review: Russian Circles – Blood YearRead More Teen Mortgage “Life/Death” EP ReviewRead More Kitty Kat Fan Club Debut LP ‘Dreamy Little You’Read More No Peace in the Wasteland as Graveyard and Uncle Acid & the Deadbeats stop in at Rams Head LiveRead More Infinite Fun At The Union Stage As The Infinite Tour Stops InRead More El Ten Eleven Performs To A Sold Out Union Stage As This Group Shines Brightly!Read More