By Deaglan Howlett | Posted Tuesday, April 10, 2018
For fans of: Real Estate, The Apples In Stereo, Pavement, Phoenix
I was recently hipped to the independent record label Sniffling Indie Kids, based out of New Jersey. One of the bands on their roster that immediately caught my attention was the group Quality Living. Quality Living is a group of six friends hailing out of Ringwood, New Jersey in Passaic County. Their first release was 2016’s self-titled full length, and since then singles have followed every year. 2018’s release “Alcohol Store” is a song I have been listening to for weeks.
According to Quality Living’s website,
“At a loss for the hype-speech that typifies band bios, the members of Quality Living have provided the following 'elevator pitch' for your perusal:
We are not especially fond of describing ourselves. What we do love, unconditionally, is the idea of beloved musical icons engaged in blood sport. So, if we may: Davids Bowie and Byrne are clashing with the boys of Pavement in a gladiatorial death-duel. It’s a stalemate. Michael Jackson is the tiger. Britt Daniel is the emperor (thumbs down). Imperial Prince Ben Gibbard sulks in the stands with a wilted rose strewn on his lap. Rivers Cuomo, recently appointed as chancellor, doesn’t care what anyone thinks. Vampire Weekend have already been eaten, but they were around for a minute. Daft Punk and Phoenix are getting the band back together. Isaac Brock calls the plays on NBC.”
Their bio, while humorous, truly encapsulates the sound of the band. You can tell Quality Living was influenced by the rhythms of new wave artists and the lyricism and melodies of 90’s indie darlings, especially in their latest release “Alcohol Store.” The track’s bouncy rhythm fits perfectly behind Norrell’s soft and effortless vocals. While the track contains that “careless” sound perfected by Pavement, the song itself is well constructed and unbelievably catchy. I hope this single leads to a full length later this year.