Detox Retox

"Everyone needs a dose of butt shaking feel good pop that carries a bit of weight every once in a while. Detox Retox can provide you with your next fix. Their second EP Movement dropped this week and it’s chock full of singable singles – Caroline being one of my favs – racing guitars and peppy drums. The opening bass line on “Too Late” is like buttah and melt nicely over the pipping hot cymbals." - The World in a Paper Cup

"DC’s Detox Retox have an EP called Hard To Swallow that throws sharp riffs and some urgently danceable bass-heavy disco post-punk around that reminds me a little of Arctic Monkeys. It’s the sort of stuff that will have suburban kids wearing their jeans tight and their sunglasses at night." - Can You See the Sunset

"It makes you feel good, gets you energized, and can be played many times without getting boring." - Boom Boom Chik

Hailing straight from inner Washington DC, Detox Retox has entered the music scene packing quite a punch, and the quartet composed of Michael Parker (vocals/guitar), Nate Frey (lead guitar), Kevin Glass (bass/vocals) and Kabir Khanna (drums) claiming to play “loud sexy rock and roll” is really living up to its word.

Detox Retox formed a year ago and has been keeping busy performing nonstop at clubs throughout the DC area and recording its debut EP, Hard To Swallow, which is now available through Amazon.com. The five-track EP features stellar cuts such as “They Say” and “Resurrection”, which definitely borrow qualities from grunge rock artists such as Stone Temple Pilots and combine them with a modern rock sound that’s both fresh and bold. “Groovebox” is by far the highlight of Hard To Swallow, keeping you on your toes and dying for more.

The band carries a sound that walks in the footsteps of Bloc Party and samples other fun Indie-rock artists such as the Artic Monkeys and Franz Ferdinand. Filled with catchy guitar riffs and a rockin’ beat, Detox Retox gets you on your feet with an edge that’s razor sharp, backed by a rhythm that’s irresistibly moving and impossible to stop dancing to.

During hectic times, the boys have managed to keep a sense of humor, providing witty commentary such as a disclaimer for their live performances that states on their MySpace, “Detox Retox and its subsidiaries take no responsibility for any spontaneous pregnancies incurred.” The band may seem a bit stale in the indie-rock scene these days, but it can’t be ignored that they are hopelessly enjoyable to listen to. If you happen to be in the DC area, be sure to check out these guys at one of their upcoming shows. - Consequence of Sound

"The EP Movement is a collection of six songs recorded with the help of Ra Ra Riot's Andrew Maury. Every song is like a feel-good jumpstart. I have no better words for it. In case you haven't noticed, summer is basically here. I know. It's annoying to be reminded of it on every magazine cover and on every one of your goddamn friends' FaceBook status updates, but look. You have a lot of baloney you've got to deal with in life, so you need to decide there is a time each year that you are going to grab by the balls and declare as yours. It just has to be that way. So make it summer, and you won't have to make excuses for it. Just say, "It's summertime, dude," and you're off the hook.

That's the mood I get in listening to Movement. It's summertime, dude. And if I want to take off for this weekend without clearing it with anyone, oh, a-guess a-what? See ya bitches!" - inALLcaps

If you live in the suburbs of Washington, DC it's only natural to you need to unwind a bit every now and then. So why not start a rock band, name it Detox Retox, get some gigs, make a five song EP called Hard To Swallow to send out to venues and sell to your fanbase.

Detox Retox was formed in late 2007 and they support the classic two guitars, bass and drums configuration. They got a nice vibe going and lots of energy is put into their material. Play loud when you are knocking down a wall or taking apart superfluous cupboards.

(http://blogger.xs4all.nl/werksman/archive/2008/10/23/419851.aspx) - Here Comes the Flood

The initial track, Evil Disco is short and snappy and it fuses an incredibly catchy guitar riff, a delicious bass line and cocky lyrics from the singer; “When she licks her lips and raises her hips, I know we are gonna get it on”. They aren’t particularly deep but they fit well with the instrumental part of the song and are interesting enough to keep the attention of the listener. Groovebox uses the same formula as Evil Disco with more emphasis on the bass and dirty guitar chords instead of the single note plucking. Resurrection is a slow early Oasis or Kasabian type of song with sneer and a steady bass. Each line has the bass repeat an easy riff and is accompanied by crashing guitar at the end. The chorus has a steady but pretty awesome solo. They Say has the same feel as Resurrection, with a slightly more interesting guitar sections for the verse. Finally, Too Late is a mix of the two types of sounds, with a normal tempo. Personally I much preferred the first part of the EP to the end, the faster songs were just more interesting.

The faster tracks would easily be at home in an indie disco. Detox Retox bring to the table some really great riffs and stylish lyrics, and though they aren’t very original, they are still very much worth checking out. I will certainly be picking up a ticket if they ever decide to come to Munich.

(http://yetanotherindiemusicblogaboutmusic.wordpress.com/2008/10/26/detox-retox/) - Indie Boy

Detox Retox was formed in 2007 by friends Mike Parker, Nate Frey, Kevin Glass, and Kabir Khanna. They played their first show at WMUC-FM (University of Maryland campus radio, in College Park, MD) in early 2008, performing on the station's long-running Third Rail Radio program.

In July 2008, Detox Retox went into the studio with friend and producer Joe Mitra to record their debut EP, Hard to Swallow, at Wired Wrists II in Brookville MD. The record was released at a show at The Red and the Black in DC last month, and it is currently available in digital format through eMusic, iTunes, and Amazon MP3, or in hard copy through Kunaki. The band plans to continue playing shows, writing songs, and acquiring new fans over the coming months. Further information can be found on their Myspace.

We did a quick interview with the boys, and we are still busting up over some of their answers!

Read the full interview at:
(http://www.inallcaps.com/2008/10/i-love-bikinis-mnage-trois-french-kiss.html) - inALLcaps

"Washington DC based Detox Retox (Michael Parker - vocals/guitar, Nate Frey - lead guitar, Kevin Glass - bass/vocals and Kabir Khanna -drums) have hit the indie scene as purveyors of disco tinged "sexy rock and roll", citing everything from classic rock such as The Rolling Stones to newer (and infinitely less impressive) UK indie scenesters The Arctic Monkeys as influences. As far as I'm concerned this EP pisses all over The Arctic Monkeys material from a great height, for two reasons; 1) they've actually hit their target of creating short, danceable and impossibly catchy rock songs and 2) they are accomplished musicians (perhaps The Monkeys are, but they do hide it very well). With humorous, cheeky lyrics and a ridiculously tight rhythm section Detox Retox can't fail in winning over even the most jaded indie fan.

Highlights on this five track EP include "Groovebox", with a stunning, fast-paced disco tempo that you can't help dancing to as the song rolls along with an inevitable momentum of its own. With Parker spitting out his vocals behind the sinuous winding of the bass and high hat of the drums, this reminds me of sleazy, UK Indie glam rockers Pink Grease, minus the synths. The lyrical content, "There's a killer in this concrete disco/ And if you find her she's already had her way/ There's a killer in this concrete disco/ You'll never, you'll never, you'll never know", is admittedly plugging the same Arctic Monkeys obsession of looking at people "on the dance floor". However, there's something a bit more interesting here; this song kind of has that Ladytron vibe going on; very fun, danceable music but strangely unnerving lyrics. This is a great song though, I had it on repeat for about an hour.

There's a theme developing with "Evil Disco", a rumbling, grimy number with a great catchy chorus you embarrassingly can't help but find yourself singing in the most inconvenient situations. "Then I wave, wave, wave like a magic wand/ Now I know, she's a natural/ Wave, wave, wave like a magic wand/Now I know, I see the natural blonde." I'd suggest that it's more than a little unambiguously filthy, but with the directly preceding, "I met a girl who makes love like a saint, she fucks like a sinner/ has two boys for breakfast, tequila for dinner/ When she licks her lips and raises her hips/ I know we're going to get it on", what ambiguity remained disappears; this is a song about having sex with someone you probably shouldn't be having sex with.

Closer "Resurrection" goes down a completely different avenue. Starting off with a very Rolling Stones inspired classic rock riff, it descends into a Queens of the Stone Age style bluesy guitar solo. Parker sounds strangely like Liam Gallagher here, and the song actually has that epic Brit Pop quality that early Oasis had. The best way of describing this is if you imagine Oasis back in the (What's The Story) Morning Glory? days, with Josh Homme on lead guitar performing lyrics written by Jack Black, "Get down on your knees and pray to the God's of rock and roll, to save your life, to save your soul/ Remember how we used to pour our hearts out on guitar, this is a rock and roll resurrection, who do you think you are?" This is a pretty awesome song actually, and shows that Detox Retox can definitely do things other than short, funky party songs.

A few US reviewers seem to think that these guys sound stale in the current indie scene, however from a UK perspective Detox Retox is a refreshing change from the "stripped down and simplified" (read: we can't play our instruments and we can't write music) sounds coming out of a lot of UK bands at the moment. I look forward very much to hearing a full-length release from these guys." - Delusions of Adequacy