Unlike many other two-piece acts Mad Ones manage to achieve a full sound without relying too heavily on overdubs to flesh out their recordings. Instead they drive the music forward through the raw power of their playing, from the gun drum attack of “Darling of the River” to the fuzzed out guitar muscling its way into the beginning of “Out of Love.” Heavier tracks are balanced with subtler, more melodic tunes like “Behaviour” and “Don’t Wanna Beg,” but the album is simple, no-frills rock-and-roll throughout. Though the vocals sometimes fail to match the ferocity of the music, getting lost amid the overdriven guitars, Behaviour is an otherwise incredibly strong debut. Give it a listen and be sure to check them out around Toronto. Any band that captures this much energy on record deserves to be heard live.
