The Textiles

A cold Saturday night in February, and I’d turned the corner onto Ludlow. Once past the black clad, gorilla doormen insisting they’d reached capacity and a fickle crowd of pre-gaming college types, I made it to the showroom in time to catch the end of The Textiles’s set. A three-piece band comprised of guitar/vox, drums, and synth keyboard, they had a responsive crowd swaying and bobbing to their blend of electro-alt-rock. What makes their sound convincing is their lack of a formal bassist. The synthesizer takes up the job of filling out the rhythm section with the drums while overlaying ambient feedback, distortion, and melodies. Unlike other standard rock outfits that add a synth where a second guitar would do just as well, with The Textiles the synth never sounds superfluous.

The vocals and the guitar have a complementary relationship to the rhythm section. The vocals are a standard baritone that hints at the likes of Joy Division and Depeche Mode, while the guitar is bassy and saturated with a distortion that is never overpowering or piercing in an attempt to demand your attention. Overall the effect is that of a warm, vibrating hum lilts and borders on danceable - Flowers in A Gun (NYC)

Remember The Bravery? Well, they may be MIA, but there’s a new band in town producing a familiar vintage sound called The Textiles. The trio, hailing from Brooklyn by way of Chicago, have a decided new-wave influence, but their rock 'n' roll style makes you want to tap your feet and get up and dance. Their latest release, “Mood Revival,” is no exception (stream below), but The Textiles are a band to be experienced live, so catch them on February 4th when they play Pianos wit thelvnguage. - The Deli Magazine (NYC)

Last time 11islouderthan10.com reviewed The Textiles, they were compared to noughties rockers Jet, but you might say the Chicago outfit has undergone something of a Mood Revival.

Gone are the crunching rock ‘n’ roll riffs – replaced by a Killers-esque coolness and a stripped back, beat-led sound on this three-track EP.

Lead tune ‘Can’t Let You Go’ typifies the new vibe and is the sort of tune your head literally can’t let go – the chorus is so catchy you crave the repetitions.

Next up is ‘Powder Keg 2.0’ – a downbeat reworking of ‘Power Keg’ from that previous release, Full Battery. It’s Lana Del Rey Ultraviolence-esque with scattered guitars and a skulking groove.

Closing number ‘Plug Me In’ is minimalist The Dandy Warhols – again with heavy emphasis on the song title in the chorus.

Mood Revival is The Textiles, but not as you know them. - 11 is Louder than 10 (UK)

Thinking back to 2003, what a year it was for albums.

Permission to Land, Elephant, Absolution, Fire and Get Born were just some of the aural classics released 11 years ago.

Get Born, of course, featured the retro rock tunes of Australian quartet Jet, and fans of the now-defunct band searching for more of the same will certainly enjoy Full Battery – the new release from American duo The Textiles.

Opening track ‘Learn to Fight’ could be straight from a bourbon commercial, with its driving groove and scuzzy guitars, while lead singer and guitarist Tino’s gravelly vocals are almost too cool for school.

The song finishes with a satisfying crash of cymbals from drummer Dan Mahoney in the classic rock tradition, but plenty of other influences make themselves apparent across the six tracks – the T-Rex-esque ‘Man in Motion’ with its Hendrix solo, The Beatles-infused ‘Every Penny Helps’, the Oasis-tinged ‘Magdalena’, not to mention the Lenny Kravitz riffage of standout track ‘I’m a Doll’. “The record player plays a primal groove” indeed.

If that doesn’t get your head nodding and air guitar primed, you need a ‘Powder Keg’ up your arse – the fifth track delivering “the warm syringe of sonic shock” with its AC/DC rhythms.

The EP is made all the more absorbing by the dirty yet crisp production values imbued by Marc McClusky, who has previously worked with Weezer, no less.

Unlike a smartphone, Full Battery remains fully charged throughout.

Full Battery is out now. - 11 is Louder than 10 (UK)

You want to hear a well-produced guitar album just pop in the latest from The Textiles entitled Full Battery. The two-piece band made up of Tino (guitar, vocals, bass, songwriting, percussion) and Dan Mahoney Jr. (drums) worked with Marc McClusky (Weezer, Pavement, Social Distortion and much more) to create a rocking album that fans of bands like Queens Of The Stone Age, White Stripes and Jet will enjoy.

The band greets you with a fine layer of fuzz on “Learn To Fight” as the tom drums create waves of motion. Within the first thirty seconds the drums are crashing and the guitar implements Jack White type guitar fills. “Learn To Fight” explores economic disparity and the adversity that can be introduced into a capitalistic system. Tino sings “ we've been whipped by industrial hands / tossed to the way side / marginalized by the western man / this ain't the promised life we planned.”

The second song “I’m a Doll” is a rock song that has a sultry quality that is bound to get a couple of fans mojo rising. The guitar is nasty as the opening lead immediately draws attention to itself. There is an old time classic rock feel to this song that had me bobbing my head back and forth while reaching for a Jack Daniels.

“Man in Motion” is an all around visceral rocker that has the best guitar solo on the album while “Every Penny Helps”tells an engaging story of how money can be an asset when chasing down a lustful temptation. The last track “Magdalena” introduces an arpeggiated synth, which fits in just fine with the heavy bass and guitar. I was thoroughly engaged with this song as it contains anthemic qualities that felt like a good way to close the album.

Overall, there isn't too much to criticize about Full Battery. The songs rock your socks off, the production is great and Full Battery isn’t something you are likely to only spin once. - No More Division (US)

I’m a sucker for modern music that has a total vintage feel. I’m not talking about just having influences of the past…if it sounds like the songs could have been written in the 70’s (just with better production quality), I am usually a fan. The Textiles excel in the field of vintage vibes. The trio’s latest release, “Full Battery” is something I have not been able to stop listening to this past week. For being a three piece, The Textiles have a huge sound, which has enough fuzz to stand up to classic psychedelic heavyweights like Blue Cheer and Jimi Hendrix. One of the things I really enjoyed about “Full Battery” is the fact that I could hear influences ranging from the psychedelic era, to straight up rock and roll bands such as Aerosmith, and to the modern rock sound of Weezer or the Black Keys.

I had to listen to “Full Battery” many times to pick a favorite song. After consideration, I had to go with the song that I cannot get out of my head. “I’m a Doll” has a hook that I constantly find myself singing. Between the catchy guitar lead in the introduction and the overall groove of the song, The Textiles really hit it out of the park with “I’m a Doll”. A lot of bands have at least one or two songs that I will skip over when I am listening to an album all the way through. There was not a single song on “Full Battery” that I felt this way about. Every song was upbeat, full of energy, and very listenable. I am looking forward to hearing more from The Textiles in the future. - Rock in Chicago Magazine (US)

Neighborhood: Edgewater, Wrigleyville, Albany Park Sound: Blazing, groove-focused guitar rock, nodding to ‘70s simplicity without sounding overly retro Influences: Queens of the Stone Age, Led Zeppelin, The Who, The Black Keys, Rolling Stones Live show: Simply straightforward rock ‘n’ roll, says 27-year-old singer/guitarist Tino (it’s just Tino) Claim to fame: Shared a bill with White Mystery at Cobra Lounge; played 7 shows in 4 days in New York Fun fact: According to Tino, he was separated from bassist Eric Selke and drummer Dan Mahoney Jr. while in New York. Tino had the apartment key; he returned to find his bandmates in a neighbor’s place, drinking whiskey and playing with the guy’s pet turtle - Redeye Chicago