Today Junior

Allston, MA's own Today Junior have released their full length debut album titled What's The Skinny? The three piece band have crafted an exquisite collection of tunes for the masses that are primed and ready to be delivered to your earlobes at a steady pace.

We start things off with "Sweet Dee Part I" a straightforward, melodic jam that is a no frills affair with steady guitar licks delivered to you courtesy of Harry O'Toole and his lead vocals providing the perfect accompaniment for the rest of the disc to follow. "The Antidote" features a neat percussion arrangement by Mike O'Toole that shows off the cleverness and ambition that the band have clearly demonstrated in the beginning stages of the album, and how they intend to move forward. "Fresh Air" is a organic, simple structured format tune that shows off the band's chops and their ability to dabble in varying degrees of tempos that aren't too strong or too soft, but hit at you at just the right level where it isn't too overwhelming for the prospective music listener.

The second half gets underway with my favorite track off the album, "Sunspots" an upbeat, passionate tune that just reeks of summertime with wistful guitar melodies and Harry's vocals providing the perfect soundtrack to your trips to the beach or summer barbecues that will get even better with this song playing in the background. "Squeeze" is a fast paced track clocking in at just under 2 minutes that manages to cram alot of musical goodness in such a short span of time, and ensures that your time listening to the track is well spent. The disc begins to conclude with the album's title track, a pleasant sounding track that shows off the band's dynamic that is well constructed and shows the communication between the other members of the group and how they all stay on the same page musically. We end matters here with "Sweet Dee Part II", a song that incorporates elements from songs we heard at various points throughout the album, and presents an encapsulated synopsis of the album at large and the various tempos we've encountered in our journey towards the finish line. I caught these guys in concert last year at Copperfield's right near Fenway Park, and I was impressed with the band's stage presence and how genuine they were when I chatted with one of the members afterwards, and I got a sense that these guys love playing music in general and from living in Allston Rock City, these guys are exposed to music on a constant 24/7 basis.

In summary, a well executed and constructed effort from Today Junior, who are a band making their way through the confines of the Boston music scene, and delivering to the crowds music that they really take to heart and are extremely passionate about.

Album Score: 4/5 - MusicBoxPete

Hey everyone!

Kicking off September and the post Labor Day holiday with an all new installment of Artist Spotlight! This week, we head over to Allston, MA (Allston Rock City) and uncover the emerging sounds of Today Junior. The band consists of Craig Barter on bass and vocals, Harry O'Toole on guitar and vocals, and Mike O'Toole handling the drums. The band has a unique combination of indie rock and dance influences, sort of like if The Strokes and Tokyo Police club were in the same room together and decided to form a supergroup of sorts, that's what it sounds like. I just happened to catch the band in concert a few weeks back at Copperfield's in Boston, right in the Fenway area and they did an incredible job of making sure the audience's attention was focused squarely on them and on no one else in the room with the band's vivacious rhythms allowing them to fit in nicely and offer up a variety of sounds to an eager and willing listening audience. A great Boston area band that has the potential to be even more well known in the time laying ahead. Some recommended tracks for you to check out and take a listen to include "En Route" and "A-Line".

For more information on the guys in Today Junior, head on over to their Facebook page and 'Like' it at: www.facebook.com/todayjuniorboston where you can find out more info on the band and how to purchase their music through CDBaby. The band is also able to be followed on Twitter by going to www.twitter.com/todayjuniorband where you can see what the band is up to this very minute and what shows they have coming up on the horizon as well. The band's music is also available on BandCamp and you can head on over to todayjunior.bandcamp.com where you can listen to their latest release, "When In Roam" and stream it from the website or purchase it for your listening enjoyment for just $3! - MusicBoxPete