REVIEW: The Roughhousers — Toenail Soup and Monkey Butt (SINGLES/VIDEOS)
Rockabilly and Americana have been practically everywhere in the past few years, penetrating the pop spectrum and numerous genres that were previously removed from both aesthetics. With their last few singles, The Roughhousers have been brilliantly incorporating it into children’s music, and the arrival of their latest cuts “Toenail Soup” and “Monkey Butt” sees their eminence in the style becoming undisputable. Where other artists who make children’s music are quick to pander to predictable themes that unnecessarily dumb down a basic concept to appeal to young kids, The Roughhousers make quality music that just happens to bear more whimsy than the average pop track would, and children of all ages (and their parents) and noticing.
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There’s nothing clandestine about the beat in “Toenail Soup” especially, and I would challenge any listener to avoid swinging to the rhythm whilst giving the song a spin. “Monkey Butt” is a little heavier with its step, but it’s not overbearing in its presence. The delicate touch behind the board is giving us a full picture of all the texture and tone in this mix, and I don’t think that any one element stands atop the others — save for the lead vocals, that is.
The verses slide together excellently in “Monkey Butt,” and although the percussion is pushing us along with the band, there are no rigid beats nor robotic harmonies to be found here. The Roughhousers take little things in their music seriously, but they’re not overcome with the intricacies that some of their contemporaries are. Melancholy is child-like when it’s present, but it isn’t the quirky capriciousness that often sabotages quality kid’s songs just when they’re starting to sound good to an adult.
I will say that while the melodies here are really rich, the tone of the drums matches up to the strings in “Toenail Soup” really well, to such a point where you can imagine The Roughhousers sounding really good in a live performance. There’s something authentically retro and almost troubadour-esque about the sound they’re rocking in both of these singles, and if I have the opportunity to hear them play in person, I would be curious to see if they can maintain the same attitude and delivery they’ve got in the studio. How often does a band that makes children’s music make grown-up critics want to see them live? Not enough, but this is a duo apparently intent on changing that.
Although it’s quite difficult to please the two distinct audiences that The Roughhousers are chasing after with “Toenail Soup” and “Monkey Butt,” this is a pair of musicians who know their way around a melody or two and should be credited for their intriguing work in these latest releases. The Americana in their sound isn’t overstated but very natural, and you could even say that the simplistic purity of their narratives has a unique tethering to the aesthetic as well. There’s something very cathartic about songs that are this loveably campy and reassuring, and I have a feeling other music lovers are going to agree.
Colin Jordan
