Will Schube’s not Terrible, he’s just a Bad Boy.
A record deal from Terrible Records is as good a sign of impending cultural cachet as any. The New York based record label was co-founded by Grizzly Bear’s Chris Taylor and has released music by Blood Orange and Chairlift. They put out the first Twin Shadow record and have worked with Solange. It’s a hub for that fun little genre that straddles the line between R&B and pop, which makes their partnership with the LA-based Inga all the more interesting.
Sam Gendel’s been making music in or around Los Angeles for quite a while, but it’s his most recent project, Inga that has excited the masses of young hipsters and old jazzers. His band—which also consists of Adam Ratner on guitar and Kevin Yokota on drums—first struck a chord with their cover of Rashad Roland Kirk’s “Volunteered Slavery” earlier this year.
Inga’s version doesn’t pack the wild ferocity Kirk’s does, but a cover’s veracity is never as important as the newness it extracts from the template. The group loops the melody with funky afropop undertones before using its foundation to take turns soloing. Their cover is a really good track, but it’s nice to see them break out on their own with “Infinity__,” their first release with Terrible Records.
“Infinity__” is essentially two tracks pasted together, the first half gentle in its subtle swing. Gendel’s voice builds atop itself in a not-quite falsetto. Ratner’s guitar is beautiful, shifting between distinct tones from section to section.
The song’s second part, which the band labels, “mysterious,” boasts some of that signature Terrible Records pop/R&B. The drums hit a smooth double time and the guitar stabs take on a blunted out D’Angelo feel. It’s equal parts enchanting and anxious. “Infinity__” is beautiful and tightly performed, but what’s most exciting is how new Inga’s music sounds. They’re as Terrible as the rest of them.
