Record Review: Work Shirt — 'Demonstrations'

Demonstrations is riff-heavy instrumental indie, hewn from the grimiest grunge. This is Mudhoney as filtered through ‘90s indie dynamics, the guitar and bass thick and visceral, the drums punchy. While this is a rough demo, it’s exactly the ideal introduction to the project, which is all about eschewing pretense for a workman-like commitment. “Track 3” stands out as a perfect indicator of things to come, melodic and driving, but at a measured pace. Overall, this has the crushing melancholy of True Widow, albeit without any lyrical guidance to light your path. With “Track 5,” the band closes on an optimistic note, the melody giving a sense of light through the gruel. —Syd Bishop