Sorry no Ferrari

Sorry No Ferrari must have taken a criticism to heart from our review of their last release, Oh Snap!, and it has worked absolute wonders. Overlook the hilariously terrible artwork of their new-ish EP, The Get Down Syndrome, and you'll be rewarded with excellent, chilled out all-instrumental indie/emo highly in the vein of American Football and early Minus the Bear.

For such a seemingly young band, Sorry No Ferrari sound immensely accomplished on The Get Down Syndrome. The songs are mathy, spacey, and offer a variety of moods (from upbeat to even pensive and distraught), even if all the while there's a serious Highly Refined Pirates vibe. Take "Tuba Toothpaste," or "Jamaican Me Crazy" with its intricate, staccato riffs; maybe even "Adult Braces," which ushers in the disc moving energetically.

The Get Down Syndrome is a surprisingly tight and wonderful little release from Sorry No Ferrari. Hopefully like their peers in Look Mexico that were quickly noticed and snatched up, Sorry No Ferrari get the same treatment as they're producing a similar and just as swell type of creative sound. - Punknews.org

Well I was real off base with my presumption of this record. The cover art screamed pop-punk, and so did song titles that come from such inspirations as Halo (“Killtacular”). Sorry No Ferrari has absolutely nothing in common with anything on Drive-Thru however, sharing similarity more with American Football than anyone else around.

The majority of the band’s music is instrumental, only implementing vocals sparsely throughout, more as an accent to the instrumentation than a guiding force in the music. It’s a strategy that works incredibly for the four-piece, as their upbeat compositions are much less somber than American Football’s material, but possessing a lot of those same twinkling guitars and wistful tapping on the snare. Everything sounds so fluid and cohesive that each of the seven songs is a seamless integration of the track before it and the track after. As with many good instrumental albums, you’re not even aware when one track is over and the next is beginning.

“Simple Plan” starts off immediately with some extremely light, melodic chord progressions and even lighter vocals, and while they’re not a hindrance, those vocals need to be tweaked a little bit or left out all together to really get as much as possible out of the song. But after that initial 30 seconds, it’s nothing but smooth grooves and tight drumming. None of the individual musicians is doing anything exemplary, but they all work so well as a unit that it doesn’t even matter.

It’s on the 7-and-a-half-minute “Miami Sound Machine” that the act really spreads their wings and shows just what they’re capable of. Across a wide variety of sounds and tempos, they make everything sound pristine and gorgeous; even the most simple tapping of the hi-hat or thick bass line adds into the larger picture, which is a beautiful, sprawling atmosphere with musicians that don’t miss a step. Even the shorter tracks, like the two-minute “Killtacular,” has its fair share of impressive moments. The guitar work here is cascading while the cymbals splash and resonate in the background, all the while the bass carries everything along, linking the different tempos and textures with ease. While this is not a revolutionary record in any sense of the word, it’s great for repeated and relaxing listens.

Just lay back, throw this record on, and let it all wash away. - Punknews.org

The Get Down Syndrome, the second EP from Atlanta band Sorry no Ferrari, is laced with high-powered, experimental melodies, funky bass lines and some jazz fusion-like harmonies. This latest offering of instrumental numbers from the quartet of Brett Kelly (guitar), Chad Shivers (guitar), Drew Mobley (bass) and Sonny Harding (drums) is slightly reminiscent of Sound Tribe Sector 9, Particle and Ghosts and Vodka. The layered instrumentation found throughout the EP propels the music and gives each song a richer texture.

The polyphonic rhythms on the track “Native American Idiot” give the impression of more than one song being played as the track starts off slow and upbeat and then delves into fast, mechanical drumming before ending in a darker, less structured place. The track “Tuba Toothpaste” is perhaps the most laid-back track on the E.P., with the intro of acoustic guitar creating an ethereal and warm feeling before the drums are introduced. Then each instrument builds upon the last to finally dissolve into some sort of hyperspace symphony.

The last track on the EP is a very interesting, albeit amusing, rendition of the theme from Beverly Hills Cop. It wouldn’t be hard to call a band like Sorry no Ferrari a “jam band,” but The Get Down Syndrome manages to dodge some of the pitfalls of that label.

Exhibiting songs that are less circular and more direct than your average jam band, this EP doesn’t feel as though it’s just one song being played a multitude of different ways. Also, the focus is less on the drums and bass than in many jam bands. The melodies change often enough for the listener to be actively engaged in the music and not just entranced by it. Sorry no Ferrari is obviously in it to make music that’s more than just listenable. (Alaska/Stickfigure) - Southeast Performer