Guitarists
Raze Regal
and
White Denim
's
James Petralli
have been friends since touring together around 2018, bonding over their shared love of jazz fusion, psych-rock, soul, and punk. They bring all of those combined influences to bear on their 2023's collaboration
Raze Regal & White Denim, Inc.
Regal
, who first garnered attention for his work with New York punk act
Stalkers
, met
Petralli
while working with
Once & Future Band
. Following that group's dissolution, he moved to
's home of Austin, Texas, where the duo continued to hang out and eventually started working on music. Essentially, their collaboration sounds like a more jazz- and prog-inflected version of
's garagey psychedelia. It's a vibe the group have been experimenting with since at least 2013's
Corsicana Lemonade
and which feels like a natural evolution.
has a similar style to
's, marked by crisp improvisational riffs and chordal accents that straddle the line between fuzz-tone rock and '70s jazz fusion. It's an evocative style that brings to mind a punky take on players like
Larry Coryell
,
Duane Allman
, and
George Benson
. Cuts like the opening "Ashley Goudeau," "The Hustle in You," and "Dislocation" have a laid-back yet hooky sound that calls to mind classic sides by
Steely Dan
the Isley Brothers
. There's a tactile, analog atmosphere to
's work, marked by woozy synths, vibraphones, and sundry guitar sounds, like on the intro to "Blood," where their shiny guitar and keyboard hits sounds unexpectedly like the opening to a '70s-era TV sitcom like Three's Company. Elsewhere, they conjure a kinetically thrilling, '80s post-punk energy on "Tivoli" and slide into the summery,
Stevie Wonder
-esque romanticism of "Idle Later." ~ Matt Collar