Greg Hoy & The Boys are back this season with a new video for their single “Green,” and despite steering clear of self-indulgences that would have dated their sound to another era in the history of rock n’ roll, they nevertheless manage to turn in a celebration of alternative rock’s best excesses here (as few and far in between as they arguably are). “Green” is a lean, mean, alternative melody machine in the style of traditional indie rock ala The Replacements, but while it doesn’t hold back from wearing its influences on its sleeve, it would be wrong to describe it as being retrospective in tone or design.
As far as the production quality in this release is concerned, both the music video and the single itself enjoy very well-structured mixing, engineering and directing on all fronts, with no particular elements standing out as being over the top or too boisterous for the grander scheme of things. A certain DIY grit shadows the imagery in the video, but we’re never forced to sit through something that feels forced or inorganically ‘indie’ in spirit. That’s become a significant problem among Greg Hoy & The Boys’ contemporaries in recent years, but it’s clearly not an issue for this crew.
If alternative rock thrills and chills of the most concise variety are your style, “Green” is an awesome addition to any 2020 playlist this February. Greg Hoy leads an able cast of disciplined players into a hurricane of harmonic fuzz and unstoppably catchy grooves in this latest release, and though it might not introduce us to anything in the band’s sound that we weren’t already aware of prior to now, it absolutely verifies both the authenticity and continuous growth of this group and their musical profile. I like what I’m hearing in “Green,” and hopefully it’s just a taste of what’s still to come.