Long Arm Rex - Welcome Home EP (Self-published)

The name of the band came about purely by chance after a conversation between bassist Alexa Stamison, a geologist by training, and the rest of the band members, who all turned out to be big fans of the movie 'Jurassic Park', jokingly wondering what evolution would have looked like if the Tyrannosaurus rex would have had long arms. The band was formed when bosom friends Caroline Crawford (vocals) and Aaron Darter (guitar/vocals) decided to start a new project. Not much later, family members of Caroline's introduced the duo to bassist Alexa Stamison, and a few months later drummer Jeff Pezzone also joined the trio. Shortly after came 'Hatched', their first 5-track EP. However, it wasn't until two years later, just after the release of their debut album 'Rebel', that keyboardist James Allen joined the lineup, solidifying Long Arm Rex's sound, a blend of reggae and dub with elements of psychedelic rock, pop, and ska.

The title of this new EP is a nod to StrangeCreek Campout and Wormtown Music Festival, two festivals held annually in Greenfield, Massachusetts, both of which use the slogan "Welcome Home!". Long Arm Rex has been a guest at these events, where they also crossed paths with MC Ferris Electrik, contributing hip-hop vibes to the aptly titled tracks 'The Creek' and 'Ease Your Mind' on this EP. The rock-flavored sound of opener 'Whiskey' immediately reminded us of SOJA, whereas the brief interlude 'Last Night', featuring acoustic guitar and piano, leans towards nu-folk, and the uptempo 'My Summertime Girl' embraces the sound and lyrics reminiscent of American West Coast reggae bands. Things get psychedelic in instrumental closing track 'Meteor', somewhere between the Turkish psychedelic guitar rock of the nineteen seventies and dubby reggae.

Not exactly purist fare, but still a nice calling card from a wayward American band that is definitely worth discovering.