Retail Drugs breathes fire in the blown-out alternative rock “manny”

In “manny”, a lackadaisical riff spills out of acoustic strings, while solemn chords from an electric guitar come in to meet it. The grainy texture created by the tape recording, a signature element of the band’s sound, gives the acoustic foundation a satisfyingly textured edge. As electronic embellishments thicken the hazy atmosphere, band leader Jake Brooks’s soft tenor becomes an anchor amongst the song’s crescendoing sound and evolving chords. As the layers build, the former becomes a backdrop for Ali Genevich’s blown-out guitar ruffs, Aaron Scannell’s driving bass, and a jangly cacophony of drums from Josiah Martuscello. It’s a bold lead from the band’s second full-length album, coming out on August 1st via the Fire Talk imprint Angel Tapes.

Coming to life spontaneously in a Los Angeles suburb, Brooks says “manny” was formed while he was working on demos for his guitar-pop project Laveda. "I don’t smoke weed much,” he explains. “'manny' began as a shared spliff between me and longtime collaborator Dylan Sky. Ali and I were over at Dylan’s in Eagle Rock working on what would become the first demos of Laveda’s upcoming record, Love, Darla. Ali went to sleep while Dylan and I continued working on stuff. Eventually we smoked a spliff to stay awake longer and 'manny' was the first thing we did after that.” While the two worked on the song together, Brooks says it felt like “manny” came together in an almost mystical fashion. “I think the spliff wrote the song mostly. I was doing a lot of things I wouldn’t normally do on a track.”

The searing new song almost made an appearance on Retail Drugs’s 2024 album i love you so !, but ended up being shelved for use later on. Now, “manny” is the first song released ahead of the band’s upcoming album rECKless dRIVing. A collection of demos all recorded to tape, the song is one of the fiercest songs of the hazy, lo-fi lineup.