Bush Tetras
Boom In The Night

In the legendary New York between the seventies and eighties, filled with avant-garde insights and proudly representing an entire intellectual movement aimed at redefining the classical coordinates of rock (chief among them, the no-wave), the Bush Tetras were one of the many cult phenomena of that scene. The group mainly performed live, so much so that they never recorded an LP, but only a handful of EPs, all collected, except one, on this album, which completely summarizes their studio recordings.

Vocals, guitar, and bass were female, while the drums were the work of "Dee Pop." And it is indeed the rhythm section that forms the backbone of their music. A powerful step from the unmistakably dark-funk voice, and a drum pounding hard, dry and lashing, monolithic, without echoes or effects of any kind. Moreover, the addition of "metallic" percussion gives, if there ever was a need, even greater vigor.
A sparse sound, in short, almost live-like, with sharp and raw guitars. One can perceive the American origin of the combo, the school is indeed that of no-wave, the atmosphere as well. Their identity is betrayed by the dazed and playful approach with which some tracks are performed, that nervous and inconsistent tempo that made that period legendary.

The energy transmitted by their sound is truly captivating; one senses that the combo was primarily dedicated to playing live, but even in the studio, the performance is excellent. The "groove" is deep, upfront, while the guitar sketches figures similar to those of the British Gang Of Four. Cynthia Sley's singing is schizophrenic, sometimes apathetic like the most listless Lydia Lunch, sometimes neurotic.

In short, one could describe their sound as a hybrid between the English and American schools.
In sum, a must-not-miss album, because it bears witness to a perhaps unrepeatable moment of great musical value, an underground band that helped fuel the myth of the New-York wave.