Cake

In The Whale’s debut EP, Cake, can be summed up pretty easily: This is rock ’n’ fucking roll. The duo of Nate Valdez and Eric Riley deliver four big, aggressive tracks that just beg to be cranked up to 11.

There isn’t much lyrical variation on the EP, with all four songs focusing on that most classic rock staple: women. The opener, “34-28-32,” features shouted verses before a chorus with some surprisingly on-target falsetto to get the ladies movin’ and groovin’. With handclaps and nice breakdown near the end, this is the perfect mission statement for In The Whale. It says, “We want to make you dance, but we’re also gonna come at you pretty hard, so brace yourself.”

“Woman” continues the theme of riff-heavy rock, while adding little bit more of a bluesy flavor with slight tinges of organ, reverb, and vocal harmonies that nod toward the rock gods of yesteryear. On “Heels,” the band’s first single, an enormous drum beat comes charging out before giving way to an even bigger riff, the best on the album, along with one of the best opening lines: “Two heels, four wheels she’s ready to play.” This song is the best on the album, and it shows what these two dudes can do when they’re at the top of their game.

The biggest surprise comes on the closer, “Shall Not Be Moved,” a country-fried rocker about breaking into a girl’s house to take her out on the town even though her daddy doesn’t approve. It’s a mix of blues-rock and down-home hootenanny that makes you wonder what else these guys are hiding up their sleeves. After three take-no-prisoners, riff-powered jams, the closer’s Southern flavor is a nice change of pace.

With only four tracks, In The Whale gives you a good idea of how it has come to rock pretty damn hard. But one wonders what the group will do next. This is a good collection of throwback rock songs, but perhaps a couple more unexpected genre shifts like as “Shall Not Be Moved” would better serve the duo. As it stands, Cake is a tasty enough slice of rock ’n’ roll, but you may not want to come back for seconds.