The 1-10s (pronounced “one-through-tens”) are the sort of band that a young kid in the ’90s would feel cool for liking. Following in the footsteps of acts like Jane’s Addiction, a funk rock infusion flavors the four-song EP.
The band’s self-titled debut is alive with Pixies-like guitars, stumbling bass and clashing percussion. With only four songs on the whole record, there’s not a whole lot of room for a terrible cut to sneak into the track lineup, but the 1-10s are no novices. They have been playing music—even if not together—long enough to convince listeners that an even better full-length could follow. Bassist Ben Lowry played in folk rock band West Mary as well as Angel Snow, drummer Abby Hairston was in Redding Shift and guitarist Adam Louis played for Crop Circle and One Pump Daisy. Vocalist Will Floyd moved back to Nashville from Chicago, prowling the city in search of a new project until the others asked him to join the band. This summer, they’ve been pushing the EP—one part Southern roots, one part funk and two parts rock.
“Snake in the Grass” wakes up the album with a yelping, throbbing guitar riff that thrashes through a black bass line while Floyd’s understated voice scratches across the surface. From there, the EP pulls in a different direction; the honey of funk and soul cuts the vinegar of rock as tighter instrumentation gives way to more meandering, lazy jamming.
If only the sound could be affirmed by a longer album; the 1-10s know what they’re doing. Listeners will just wonder what the band might do given the opportunity to record a full-length.