Snacks expand with “save You”
Huntsville-based Snacks has been at it for a while, and, recently, they’ve hit their most creative and productive stretch. For nearly a decade, Zach Jeffries—formerly of the celebrated and contentious Thomas Function—and a rotating group of supporting musicians have been writing, recording, and performing dreary pop music. The early days of the band felt like Jesus and Mary Chain revivalism, which worked. Now, Jeffries’ appreciation for Phil Spector-produced girl groups, Brian Jonestown Massacre, and Squeeze is coming through louder and clearer ... which also works.
Throughout 2023 and 2024, Snacks toured alongside the affable Miami punks Jacuzzi Boys, reaching new listeners and honing their complex live arrangement. If you saw the band during this period, you might find their new record “Save You” a little perplexing. Live, the band is dark, punishing, and heavy on the electronics and fuzz. At times, the vocals are a dissonant layer. It’s compelling, and it’ll leave your ears ringing. But “Save You” approaches the listener in a much different way—there’s more subtlety and the vocals and melodies shine through. Jeffries and his collaborators have also fine tuned their dynamics.
Things get loud when they need to. Synths emerge during sunnier, dreamier moments (often in conflict with the darker and more self-centered lyrical themes). Catchy guitar bursts come and go. It’s all there to service the songs, and it’s compelling.
“Nowadays” might be the clearest example. What begins with a whisper-like vocal over a steady, palm-muted guitar, eventually evolves into a spiraling and layered pop tune. Even a few playful elements emerge toward the end of the track, including a beat that borders on danceable. The vocal melody and the synths are what push “Nowadays” to a new place for the band, though — a somewhat welcoming (albeit uneasy) place.
More psychedelic touches emerge throughout the second half of the record, with “Waiting” and “Save You” nodding to BJM and Spacemen 3 (organs, acoustic guitars, steady looping rhythm sections). Although the production is a little jumpy at times, it isn’t distracting. Just noticeable.
In the song “Waiting,” Jeffries shares the line: “It’s close.” For Snacks, “Save You” is pretty close to what they’ve been chasing since the mid-2010s. Check out “Nowadays” below and pre-order the record here.
