Customers - Living Like Gods EP (2026)

You could say this is punk, maybe grunge, or just a back-to-basics garage rock. It does have substantial production sizzle, but what’s peculiar is that the band has good sound, vocal clarity, & some vibrant melodies…more vinegar than apple juice. So, I can’t dismiss this as noise or simply hard rock poseurs. It has some element of classic rock in its modern-day independent approach. The wiry lead guitar is inventive; the lead vocalist has a firm command of each song…what else?

The lead song on this 5-track EP is “King of the Lake,” & it rocks. To ears that have heard it all for decades, this is a creative outfit that has a good spin. The fact that some members are veterans of this genre helps. They’re not Led Zeppelin, not classic Deep Purple, or as heavy as The Doors, but maybe they’re like New York City’s masters of aggression, The Dictators (“Stay With Me”).

Producer Daniel Murphy (Soul Asylum) succeeds in making this project sound invigorating & dynamic on Living Like Gods – EP . The aggression of “Point the Way” has a good energetic feel, & the guitars punctuate throughout. Track 3 “Told On Me” will tighten your underwear elastic. Not so much that the band is good; their sound captivates; it’s juvenile in a Clash sort of way, but not entirely retro. The tunes are short, & this effort is an introduction to their ability. If they’re going to go the route of a full album, they’ll have to diversify their material a bit more to keep interest high.

Groups like Television are more musically adept (not everyone is Tom Verlaine), but Minneapolis’s Customers aren’t inept. You can hear the skill. This is why I mention The Dictators because they had muscle where they needed it. I’d put this group in the same realm as early Stranglers, too. My suggestion — listen to a little of the edgier Velvet Underground & apply sparingly. Gain some Lou Reed cachet. Coffee is a wonderful thing, but a splash of Jack Daniels in it & now we’re talking. Same thing with music. It prevents you from going through the motions, which is easy to do unless you’re Robert Fripp.

“Loser Friendly” is a play on words (user-friendly), laid out solidly. Young men in the audience who need their circuitry rewired with power chords, stinging riffs, & thunderous drums will find that Customers are always right.