Staffers - In The Pigeon Hole Cassette
Staffers is the brainchild of Ryan McKeever, a DC-by-way-of-Omaha musician and songwriter. After several years of extensive touring, McKeever assembled a full-fledged band and a new cassette, In The Pigeon Hole, on New York City’s Ever/Never Records is their first release with the unit. Staffers specialize in smart-guy post-punk pop as epitomized by “Pastor Carson,” a song that could easily make the cut for the next Parquet Courts album. “Fuck The Brixton” is a sort of sea-shanty that tells a whimsical tale of getting booted from a favorite bar. Exile shouldn’t sound so fun, but Staffers have a knack for twisting expectations. “The Gutter” soars with anthemic chime and “Jeremy” slashes and burns like an indie classic from the ‘90s. “Getting Thinner” is brief and bruising like Tyvek at their best, while “New Artifact Salesman” pairs a clever title with a quirky energy that recalls Half Japanese. “Just Another Tuesday” wraps the proceedings up like a last-call so-long at the bar that they finally let you into again. After all, Staffers get treated well in the end.