Columbus Ohio garage rock outfit the Tough and Lovely have to be one of the most aptly named bands in years, maybe ever. The TOUGH: the sharp guitar hooks and rock solid rhythm section. The LOVELY: the swirling organ and heart wrenching love songs with vocals found on both sides of the coin- sweet and soft one minute and in the next hard as nails.
-Erica McIntyre, CityBeat/Cincinnati
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PURCHASE TOUGH & LOVELY RELEASES:
International buyers (outside U.S.) please email first for shipping amount.
"Teardrops" - CD/LP NEW!!!
CD - U.S. - $10.00 + $2.75 s/h
LP - U.S. - $10.00 + $3.00 s/h
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"Born of the Stars" - CD/LP
CD - U.S. - $10.00 + $2.75 s/h
LP - U.S. - $10.00 + $3.00 s/h
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"Tough & Lovely/Lover's Curse" - debut 7"
45 - U.S. - $4.00 + $2.00 s/h
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A good band becomes a great band when they have a front woman with style and presence, making you stop whatever you are doing and pay attention. The Tough & Lovely have got the goods in Lara Yazvac. She has such force and veracity but also complete control; it was like these songs were written just for her and no one else. The band has chops too. Andrew Roberston (who wrote or co-wrote with Lara the entire album) fires out thick, gut-penetrating rock n roll riffs like the Stones or the Sonics, but can also lay out some cool blues bars, like so many of those garage bands who had an even more unabashed love of the roots of rock. The rhythm section is tough as nails and (fittingly) pounds out the back beat like a hammer, supplying lots of movement, depth, and (wahoo!) cool backing vocals. These songs kick ass. From the straight-up bullshit-free, in your face opener Born Of The Stars to the hip-rattling The Ooh La La (which is about a dance called the Ooh La La) which nears the finish, its pretty much solid hits top to bottom. Excellent album! Kudos all around! Yes, its worth getting excited about. Good albums coming out of nowhere (to me) are rare, great albums rarer still, but great albums that also make you a fan, that get you interested in seeking out more releases and promoting them for the sake of adoration (rather than it being my job as a reviewer) are 1 in 8,000*..................
*Yes, I've done the math.
-Mark Hughson/Now Wave Magazine
