As The Evens, Ian MacKaye and Amy Farina create robust pop songs with acoustic guitar, drums and an eye on politicians everywhere. The Odds continues the duo’s short but effective discography, solidifying the band’s sound and identity as its own.
While the record bears the undeniable stamp of the father of D.C. hardcore and post-hardcore (see Fugazi, Dischord, Minor Threat, Egg Hunt, et el), MacKaye shares equal (Even?) writing and vocal credit on The Odds to Farina, herself an established vet of D.C.’s punk scene.
On “Wanted Criminals,” the pair’s disdain of any policing body comes seething through with a repeated rhetoric: “What if every single person was a deputy?” Reminiscent of Minutemen, “Competing With The Till” is a schizophrenic scene coupling funk rhythms with bizarre vocal and horn accompaniment. “Wonder Why” is an instrumental gem that comes halfway through the LP and jams with the stripped-down ramshackle of The Clean or The Breeders. These aging OG’s aren’t settling down anytime soon.
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