Artist Culture Cry Wolf

A super-group combining local indie start-ups Peter Wolf Crier with ’80s new wavers Culture Club? Sadly, no. Culture Cry Wolf is a local six-piece that—at first blush—seems disastrous: hip-hop, reggae, ska, doo-wop, and punk. As dicey and dated as that blueprint sounds, the group manages to pull it off. MC Botzy’s casual bars form a nice interplay with frontman Mike Daly’s doo-wop wail; the arrangements lean more towards 4/4 pop, rarely defaulting to dubious/jammy territory. As un-hip as Culture Cry Wolf’s influences are (Sublime, Mustard Plug, Atmosphere), they parlay those distinct parts into something refreshingly and unabashedly fun.

Updated 03/01/2012