Stream: LA Font, ‘Diving Man’

Kevin Bronson on October 29th, 2013

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In sports parlance – not totally inappropriate here, since LA Font’s first EP was titled “The American Leagues” – the Los Angeles quartet’s full-length debut “Diving Man” is like a long touchdown followed by a vicious spike of the football in the end zone. Like a lot of the best 1990s indie-rock that informs it, “Diving Man” is outsider rock, albeit without sacrificing good ol’ hooks. In this case, the outsider is singer-guitarist Danny Bobbe, who moved to L.A. from Montana in 2008 and hasn’t let life in the big city dull his barbed-wire wit one bit. Joined by guitarist Jon Perry, bassist Greg Katz and drummer Harlow Rodriguez, Bobbe spits out his observations like he’s been taking notes on everything. Included on the album are past singles “Sharks” and “Onshore,” along with the guitar rager “Collect the Dust,” which stars Perry punctuating Bobbe’s cries of frustration with crackling riffs. The title track, Bobbe told MTV Hive, is about “being down and out in Los Angeles. String of bad jobs. No money. A couple of deadbeat friends. Drinking too much. Sneaking flasks of vodka into bars – the kind that doubles as rubbing alcohol.” Even for those outside the scene in which LA Font have become favorites, it’s relatable. The album is out Nov. 19 via New Professor; save space on your year-end list for this one.

||| Stream: “Diving Man”