Mega kudos to The Transonics, the fun-loving six piece power poppers from Columbia, South Carolina who sport not only a sly, sultry, full throated female lead singer (Patti Davis) who sounds delightfully like she just took the Delorean from the mid-80s, but also offer extensive, engaging and quirky details on how the six infectious tracks of their new EP Tides came to be.
If they’re new on your radar, you might spend more of your listening time pondering the s magical punchy, soulful, jangling and wholly contemporary fusion of classic surf, psychedelic rock and new wave elements created by David Burnett’s spirited guitarisma, keyboardist Michael Smith’s dazzling sonic hypnosis and drummer/percussionist Josh Brannon’s edgy, always imaginative grooving.
But the stories behind the songs, including two directly inspired by Burnett’s chihuahua Gidget are a hoot – and very much worth sharing since they help us realize the creative spark can come from anywhere. The chorus of the playfully swinging, vocal harmony driven “When You Were Mine” – “Hey there darling, Oh you’re sky is falling. . .won’t go in the rain” – originally started with “Hey little doggy,” aimed at the pooch because he wouldn’t go out when it was raining. The other Gidget tune is “Getcha,” a fiery, punk-ish rocker with a heart of gold about the dog’s difficult socialization process after a rough start in life – and the group’s vow that no matter what it takes, “I’m gonna get your love tonight.”
Their other inspirations include a friend of the band who did some “Orange Sunshine” back in the 60’s, resulting in the EP’s dreamiest seduction; the subtle dangers of “this potion” when you’re looking for “Tequila Love”; and, certainly par for the course with any music coming out in 2021, the COVID lockdown, with the trippy mid-tempo ballad “Midnight” reflecting the utter “Groundhog Day”-ness of the year.
True to their band name, The Transonics offer a cool throwback to the 60’s to 80s’ era of rock but transcend mere nostalgia with their hipster swirl of all those fascinating elements.