The Bourgeois: Designer Genes

The Bourgeois are a three-piece alternative-rock/punk band from Tulsa, OK. And when you read in their biography that their music is a response to the “hypocrisy surrounding them” and the “oppression of the Bible-Belt”, you know that they’re as “punk” as it gets. After two hugely successful EPs, they bring to us another four-track collection, amusingly named Designer Genes.

Listening to The Bourgeois may trigger an immediate nostalgia trip to those who grew up in the 90s – the era of wild, basement concerts and loud, messy grunge music. They derive their sonic rush from Nirvana and Smashing Pumpkins; their melodicism from The Smiths and Violent Femmes; and some aural post-punk weirdness from Talking Heads and The Pixies.

The EP opens with the title-track giving us a perfect introduction to who The Bourgeois are and what they do. With the song’s simplistic, chugging guitar riffs and punchy rhythm, the band provides us with the most headbang-able material on the record. The track that follows (We Are What We Pretend To Be), however, sees the band switching focus to their punk influences and shows us that they’re not afraid to throw in a big, catchy chorus in the middle of their raw and assertive guitar chords.

It’s easy to figure that The Bourgeois are a band that aims to keep grunge alive, and possesses a genuine love for the genre. As their drummer Ty Clark says, “We know what we’re doing, we like what we’re doing, and we’re just trying to perfect our art, perfect our craft.”

Favorite Track: We Are What We Pretend To Be

8.5/10

Track List
1. Designer Genes
2. We Are What We Pretend To Be
3. Summer of George
4. Be Careful With That Sound, It’s An Antique