Ask any member of the band Electro Group what genre of music they play and they would all have a tough time giving a straight answer. Fans and critics have labeled them anything from shoegaze to noise-pop alternative rock. While the band’s heavy-hitting sound-scapes and distorted, “wall of sound” melodies bring to mind My Bloody Valentine and other popular shoegaze pioneers, Electro Pop’s drummer Matt Hull thinks the band’s sound goes outside the parameters of the shoegaze genre.
“We didn’t necessarily agree with it 100 percent… but became more and more tired of trying to refute it and not having a better term to offer in its place,” Hull said.
Tomorrow, Electro Group is going to show off their trademark sound when they team up with indie rock band Cruel Summer and psychedelic pop band Tepid Joy to play at Luigi’s Fun Garden. This is the latest show in the handful of small gigs the notoriously reclusive band has played after nearly a decade of limited activity. Their return to the music scene happened to coincide with the resurgence of the shoegaze genre itself and MBV’s comeback.
With Matt and bass player Ian living in Sacramento while singer and guitar player Tim lives in Seattle, the band has polished their sound by making the transition to digital recording, allowing them to experiment with extra instruments and add layering to their songs that they previously weren’t able to achieve with reel-to-reel recording. This creative freedom has allowed the band to become “…less strict about what is or is not something we want to play,” Hull said.
The band is excited to return to their hometown of Sacramento, especially after their last show there in March, which was their first time playing in Sacramento in over five years. They’re especially looking forward to seeing all their old fans, and are humbled to know that so many still care about them after all this time away. Judging by the buzz going around social media circles, the fans are looking forward to seeing Electro Group too.