The Boleys
El Toro (Mas Music)
Reviewed by Tim Stegall, Fri., Nov. 22, 2019
"The point of the record is to be free," intones Ethan Boley to start the second full-length by he and his siblings' namesake local act. "So go on and steal it, man, 'cuz it's all free!" Good luck getting your album stocked in local stores now! Said opener, "Free Willy," kicks the LP's purest mohawk moment, but El Toro otherwise paints the young trio psychedelic. When the singer/guitarist/frontman harmonizes with siblings Jovian on bass and Emma on drums, "I'm sick of the Man and his weight on the world!" on second track "Sick of the Man," it's odd to hear such virulent anti-establishment sentiments across what turns out to be the young trio's least punk recording to date. The shift works nonetheless, whether essaying a Doors-like samba ("Layluh"), lysergic blues shuffle ("Storm Rollin' Through"), or a folk-y strum that could be the evil cousin to "Horse With No Name" ("Desert Song").