(The Down House)

Santa Rosa’s known, at least to me, for its often removed, quirky underground scene that’s seen a revival in energy thanks in no small part to the Pizza Punx Collective – a group of mid twenties punks who have put the once obscure north bay city on the map for touring acts. Unlike a lot of atypical bands up there, The Down House have been making catchy, straightforward garage-gaze since summer 2013, drawing on the Bay’s diverse history of garage pop and more recent obsession with dreamy, Slow Dive indebted rock.

In preparation for a split with like-minded rockers Red Wood, The Down House have released the second of two songs on their side of the 7″. According to the band, the song is a duet inspired by The Jesus and Mary Chain’s “Just Like Honey”. The song is a slow burn, really hitting its stride near the end, when the baritone male vocals nicely compliment the relaxed, breathy female counterpart.

Up until just two months ago, Ceremony front person Ross Farrar held it down as bass operator and occasional vocalist for the group. Despite his loss, it’s great to see the group still churning out catchy numbers. After countless singles, it’ll be interesting to hear a full LP from the foursome. Check out the song below and pre-order the 7″ here: