The Shelters released their self-titled debut album in a rock and roll kaleidoscope of influences, riding the wave of their predecessors while giving a modern spin on things. Influence from fellow Los Angeles rocker Tom Petty may sound apparent throughout The Shelters simply due to him sitting in the production chair. Yet make no mistake, this band is set on distinctly sounding like themselves.
The Shelters opens with the upbeat “Rebel Heart” in a mysterious sideways glance over a girl who doesn’t know when to quit. “Birdwatching” goes looking for the bigger answers, comparing perspectives with eyes of a bluebird in garage rock abandon. Softened guitars step through “Liar” in a simplistic take on being a liar, favoring restraint in fuzzed out mid-tempo guitar churns. Then quiet murmurs featuring an acoustic guitar strum a bluesy cover of The Kinks’ “Nothin’ in the World Can Stop Me Worryin’ Bout That Girl.”
Throughout the eponymous album The Shelters most often take a ‘less is more’ approach to songwriting while relying on the catchiness of each track. Take “Surely Burn” for example, where even a nearly minute long solo closing a three minute rocker doesn’t sound too indulgent. The doubly long track “The Ghost Is Gone” dabbles in rocky breakdowns and slow going verse, filled in with psychedelic country tones to follow. “Gold” rolls even slower like a late night drive, an exquisite Tarantino-type cinematic moment that carries a cool mood in character. Then “Never Look Behind Ya” does what The Shelters does best: it rocks.
The closing third of the collection delves into more experimental sounds in their songs, which may have led Petty to scout them in the first place. A search for a “Fortune Teller” crashes about with its drum-filled stops and starts, background guitar riffs and even harmonica support. “Dandelion Ridge” rolls gracefully like a heartfelt goodbye, with nuanced psychedelic blurbs supporting soothing acoustic guitar strums. Matching guitar and vocal melodies on “Born To Fly” lead into a raucous guitar echoes in a solo that teeters between different genres. In closing “Down” features dual guitar harmonic breakdowns where you almost forget that there were two of them there to begin with.
Aside from the brief “Untitled” instrumental following, The Shelters are a dozen finely crafted tracks from a sound within an era long passed. Throughout the record The Shelters remain focused but simple, earnest and catchy with music that sound quite fresh despite their supposed age. Though try as you might to compare them with some band 30, 40 years prior, The Shelters carries qualities that are distinctly all their own.