Home Read Albums Of the Week: Reckling | Human Nature EP

Albums Of the Week: Reckling | Human Nature EP

The L.A. retro-punks' hard-hitting, fat-free sound takes up where Distillers left off — with a dash of vintage Pretenders' swagger and sophistication for good measure.

THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “When Kelsey Reckling was a teen stringing guitar melodies together in her Houston bedroom, the idea of putting out music felt like a faraway dream. It wasn’t until she uprooted to Los Angeles that her fledgling songs came into fruition.

Influenced by a long-time obsession with punk, DIY, grunge, blues, and rock, and with the L.A. scene as a backdrop, her music began to take shape. In 2018, Reckling hit the ground running with her self-produced debut album, featuring nine hooky tracks full of unapologetic punk-rock licks that elicit the repeat treatment.

This gave Reckling the confidence she needed to kick her stage fright to the curb. She formed a high-energy band featuring L.A. rockers Max Kuehn (FIDLAR) on drums, Joey Mullen (Paramore/HalfNoise) on bass and Erik Jimenez (Together Pangea) on guitar. With a raw output that is nothing short of chaotic good, the live shows took on a lifeforce of their own. In just a few short years the band was playing alongside Vivian Girls, T.S.O.L., Bleached and more notable acts.

Kelsey continues to write songs that sway between the diaristic and abstraction, the raucous and melodic — all of which compete for space on her latest four-track EP Human Nature. Without a doubt, Reckling’s music is here to disrupt the narrative.”