Through and Through

Though Object of Affection’s debut s/t EP dropped in the final weeks of 2020, there is something about the LA quintet that feels much older, like a blurry memory of nights long past. Featuring members of veteran DIY hardcore and punk bands Fury, Lock, Death Bells, and Leather Slave, Object of Affection taps into the primitivism of their other projects while elevating their capacity for atmosphere and melody. Hints of gloomy post-punk, forlorn new wave, and down-and-out Regan-era alternative rock reverberate in their sound, not as pastiche but in sonic kinship to the austerity and fatalism embedded in the previous generation’s desperate and dejected anthems. On their latest single “Through and Through,” the band leans into the ragged simplicity of The Ramones and early Jesus and Mary Chain, creating a two-and-a-half minute gem of gritty pop perfection. Guitarists Remy Veselis and Kris Kirk drench their instruments in reverb and crank the gain so that their dreamy melodic lines take on a