Up until a few days ago, the only thing I knew about Provo, Utah was that it was home to Brigham Young University which produced my favorite quarterback on Madden 1995, the scramblin’ Steve Young. And then I was told to check out a band from the esteemed city by the name of SHARK SPEED. After listening to their full-length entitled Sea Sick Music, it appears as if though I wasn’t the only one enjoying a product of the 90s. While I was stuck on the SNES, the SHARK SPEED boys were apparently taking in some of the good old’ 90s emo.

From the somber beginning seconds of “Cast Off Dance Off” where the band utilizes a nice horn lead through the twinkling steadiness of the verse and on to the upbeat chorus, you’ll have no trouble noticing the band’s primary influencers in the first track. Even though such an influence is ever present, SHARK SPEED inject enough earnestness and personality into their songs that they make them their own, not unlike their peers in LOOK MEXICO. Perhaps what sets these guys apart the most is their slightly mathy, danceable edge. Second tune “I’m A Machine” has a chorus that is undeniably dance-worthy as the lead vocalist shouts “I wanna D.E.L.E.T.E. Y.O.U out of the hard drive of my mind” in a quick and clever manner over a toe-tapping beat and tons of guitar noodling. This part is easily the most infectious moment album, and that’s without mentioning how that line is amazingly nerdy. While I do not have a lyrics sheet present (darn!), I get the feeling the lyrics here are quite thoughtful as certain quotes have stood out from songs such as “Deep South Detox,” “And You’re In The Band,” “Ten To Twenty Years.” The latter song ends the album in a flurry of noise and the cryptic line “in ten to twenty years you’ll find yourself in precisely this same place.”

After several listens through, Sea Sick Music still stands up as a very fun and intriguing record. Like some of their contemporaries, you’ll likely find more and more hidden treasures on repeated listens. What stands out the most is how delicately the guys have toed the line between the simplistic, jangly stylings of 90s emo and more spastic, technically-driven math rock. SHARK SPEED have found their place in a niche that has grown considerably over the past year thanks to the likes of LOOK MEXICO and ALGERNON CADWALLADER, yet they’ve added a dose of FIRE WHEN READY and CONTROLLING THE FAMOUS to this potion to create something that is uniquely their own.

Shark Speed