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Dec 13, 2018 Web Exclusive By Stephen Axeman

Guerilla Toss have the perfect name. It sounds exactly like the sort of game one might play under the dome of a multi-colored tent at an outdoor music festival. The simplicity of the game is misleading however, because once all the parts are set in motion you start to lose track of the rules pretty quickly. On their third DFA release, Twisted Crystal, Guerilla Toss embrace the candy colored cacophony of their own rules with mixed results.

The album opens with burbling synth arpeggiations and an acid house bass groove before singer Kassie Carlson enters with a droll Fiery Furnaces-esque sing-speak. The maximalism of the songs never lets up once this starts, but the tracks never become any less inviting because of it. Journeying through a blur of indistinctly pitched and hyperactive synth and guitar phrases we are guided through a hall of mirrors where moderation is promptly dispensed with. You get the feeling that they don’t take themselves super seriously, but this is the secret ingredient to their music—it thrives on carefree naiveté. Though occasionally the layering becomes cluttered and the tracks spin out a little, there are enough euphoric come downs to keep it from becoming grating. (www.guerillatoss.com)

Author rating: 6/10