Terry Malts: A Panacea For Pessimism

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In "I Do," Terry Malts makes music that's all-around fun — fun to listen to, fun to move along with and, above all, fun to make. Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Courtesy of the artist

In "I Do," Terry Malts makes music that's all-around fun — fun to listen to, fun to move along with and, above all, fun to make.

Courtesy of the artist

Similar sounds can evoke disparate influences, so it's as easy to connect the band Terry Malts with the classic punk of the Ramones as it is with its contemporaries in a group like Surfer Blood. When it comes down to it, though, Terry Malts' debut, Killing Time, simply carries on a noble tradition of music that's all-around fun — fun to listen to, fun to move along with and, above all, fun to make.

Thriving in a wide assortment of San Francisco-area bands that do their best to blur the lines separating garage, punk and classic rock 'n' roll, Terry Malts emerged from the ashes of Magic Bullets, a seven-year-long, less hard-driving rock project that left each member wanting to cut loose and enjoy himself.

Striking a blow against negativity, "I Do" is Terry Malts saying "yes." It's a defensive-minded mantra against the world's naysayers, turning the matrimonial phrase into a panacea for pessimism. Don't read too far between the lines, because the answer is simple: "When I start to feel like they might be right / I close my eyes and I just squeeze you tighter."