The band name and album graphics, along with song titles like "Evil Robots" and "I Saw You on TV," give the impression that this Orange County foursome are part of the new wave/synth pop revival. However, while there are some surface affinities to the likes of
the Epoxies or
the Catch,
Epsilons are, at heart, a garagey punk rock affair. Think
Cramps or
Pink Flag-era
Wire, not
Devo. Singer Ty Segall has an appealingly bratty whine of a voice that's equally well-showcased on lo-fi noise blasts like "Pantyhose" and marginally poppier Nuggets-style rockers like "Just Wanna Love You Girl." The songs are pared down to the barest essentials, with barely a third breaking the two-minute barrier and non-stop forward momentum being the key feature throughout the 27-minute running time.
Epsilons is a good, trashy time, and only the most curmudgeonly of new wave old-timers will pick apart the songs to play Spot the Influence, but it's just a bit lightweight, and perhaps slightly too one-dimensional.