Tom Gallo is the host of Look At My Records! on Radio Free Brooklyn.
You can always count on King Pizza Records to serve up some of the hottest and most delicious tunes around. In 2019 alone, the Brooklyn-based largely cassette imprint dropped some great releases from Shelter Dogs, Francie Moon, The Mad Doctors, and Daddies. They’re wrapping up the year with a sure-fire scorcher of an album from True Dreams entitled No. 1. The duo, comprised of Angela Carlucci and Hannah Nichols, employ a set up of guitar and drums only with the two real-life best friends sharing vocal duties throughout to create songs that are both hard-edged and undeniably catchy.
Parsing down the formula to a two-piece can be tricky for many groups, but True Dreams perfect this no-frills approach on No. 1, delivering a truly endearing and powerful collection of pure, unpretentious rock and roll. The record oozes with both personal and societal frustration, furiously tackling feelings of rejection on the title track “No. 1,” and antiquated gender roles on “Please Sir,” amid of flurry pulsating drums and gnarled riffs. The duo keeps the energy levels high and the songs concise throughout the majority of the record with only two tracks cracking the three-minute mark, but they showcase their versatility towards the end of the record. Specifically, the mood softens a bit with some lucently jangly guitars on the sweetly melodic “Across Your Arm” and “Really,” before exploding once again on the album’s final song, “Get In The Van.” Overall, what stands out the most on No. 1 is True Dreams uncompromising authenticity, which is further enhanced by the record’s charming lo-fi aesthetic.
You can purchase No. 1 on limited edition cassette via King Pizza Records. The record is also available for download via Bandcamp.
Cover image courtesy of True Dreams.
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