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Boy Named Sue’s recent EP is holding its own in the Raleigh music scene.
Finer Things by Boy Named Sue
Listen if you like: Oasis, Joyce Manor, Violent Femmes
Continuing to cement themselves as a staple name in Raleigh’s music scene is rock group Boy Named Sue with their most recent release, Finer Things.
The Raleigh-based foursome formed in 2021 and has been turning out new music ever since. Writing and recording one well-produced album in four years is a feat for many artists—adding to their three albums and several EPs without sacrificing the quality in this quantity.
Mastered by Raleigh’s own Max Gowan at Found After Dark and released last fall, Finer Things displays a clear maturation from the group’s previous releases, but the lighter-hearted EP is still reminiscent of their same blended punk-rock sound. Consistently and refreshingly uncomplex lyrics lead the listener with unfettered vocals backdropped by grittier instrumentals. All the same, the record isn’t afraid of genre subversion.
Although the main elements of the EP lean far into both rock and emo, Southern sounds can be heard loud and clear—even apart from the opening track titled “CAROLINA SUMMER.” A faint whistle in the background, an occasional taste of a twangier guitar and hints of blues still shine through the punk sound as clear influences of the Carolinas.
And the album’s cover art tops off its contents by reiterating this combination of influences and genres—black high-tops seemingly carelessly tossed over the powerlines against a grainy blue sky mixes a vanguard of punk tastemaking with views of the South.
In short, Finer Things will make you both feel like you just emerged from the beer-soaked ecosystem of a house show and ran across a field amid a Carolina summer (!).
Catch Boy Named Sue “playing playin’ rock n’ roll ’til it haunts you” via their Feb. 14 headlining show at WKNC 88.1 ’s annual Double Barrel Benefit at Kings, or Feb. 20 at Rubies on Five Points in Durham. @suenamedboy
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