Modern Shag - Modern Shag EP (2025) Hi-Res

Chicago’s Modern Shag sound anything but modern or shaggy. They are smooth sixties-sounding jangle purveyors, with hints of psychedelia and California sunshine pop vocals. Their self-titled EP opens with “Dream of Your Life Right Now,” an easy-going, laid-back introduction to this band’s oeuvre. “Feel Luv” sounds more Beatlesque in a 1967 groovy mode. Sometimes I feel this EP wavers between the Bryds and Buffalo Springfield, occasionally slipping into Crosby, Still, and Nash territory. “You can hear it on You Gotta Go” where insistent vocals are matched by in-your-face jangle guitar. By contrast, “I Think I Get It Now” could be seen as a newer example of the genre, e.g. The Jayhawks. Then you have “Backpage,” a track that launches with alluring guitar work before grabbing you with the vocal melodies. And then it’s over all too soon, just shy of 15 minutes.