Music scenes are kind of like icebergs. There are little bits that peek out of the surface, all gleaming and there for everyone to see, but the majority of the structure is underneath the water keeping the whole thing afloat. In San Diego, that’s especially true. We have a vanishingly small list of artists that have “made it,” in a commercial sense, and a whole lot more that have spent years laying the foundation of our scene, show by show, DIY release by DIY release.
That work is hard and often unglamorous. It’s easy to give it up or ship out to greener pastures, because unlike houses, scenes are living, breathing things that shift, evolve and deteriorate. The foundations of a scene require an endless amount of maintenance and reconfiguring – venues shutter, bands break up and local labels pack it in.
There are far too many excellent people who’ve done that often thankless, nitty-gritty work in San Diego to possibly thank, but one person helping keep the DIY scene moving is Matty Terrones. Terrones has been around San Diego’s scene for years, whether it’s booking shows and putting out releases by other bands with the Make Believe DIY collective they helped found or making their own music.
I first came across Terrones’ tunes when they played in the long-standing pop punk-tinged band KIDS., but the lo-fi, homespun indie jams of their new project Neutral Shirt have for years been an absolute favorite of mine. Here’s a deep cut for you.
Neutral Shirt, “I Don’t Know Anything”: The first serving from Neutral Shirt’s new EP “Egg Time,” finds the band in full form, loading up on the sonic density and fuzz. It’s full of muscly grit, chorussy guitar plucks and Terrones’ trademark plaintive vocals. It’s also a gleeful display of both Terrones’ knack for writing catchy, compact songs and their ability to weave in angular musical left turns. At times the song gallops, at others it jogs and at still others it chugs along, satisfying a whole host of musical cravings all at once.
In short, it’s a stellar jam. Then again, I don’t know anything.
Like what you hear? Check out Neutral Shirt at the 61st House Ever Built on Saturday, April 13.
Do you have a “Song of the Week” suggestion? Shoot us an email and a sentence or two about why you’ve been bumping this song lately. Friendly reminder: all songs should be by local artists.