Coming some 3 years after their “Not Titled” debut record on MOTORCYCLE FACE RECORDS, NEEDY VISIONS sophomore record DEUCE is poised to be released on 2/1 over in Cambridge @ Lilypad. NEEDY VISIONS features the songwriting of Dan Shea one of the founders of the Boston Hassle arts org, the folks that make this website tick. Fellow Hassle co-founder Sam Potrykus also plays in the band, holding down the bass, and singing backups to Shea’s lead vocals. For a while these guys were playing together in another band called AYKROYD, but now it appears that NEEDY VISIONS is back in action in one way or another.

NEEDY VISIONS’ first record was a rambunctious and rough around the edges batch of power pop, proto-punk, and soul tunes refracted through the prism of DIY. Recorded in western MA by Scott Hoffman (of Boston indie-pop killers HANDS AND KNEES), DEUCE follows up in the tradition of NV’s 1st record, but adds a bunch of synthesizers, some sax, some psychedelia, and loosens up the more strict use of rock song structures that is found on that 1st record. Boston’s own BUFU RECORDS is releasing DEUCE on tape and they’ve thrown a couple tracks from the record up on their bandcamp for our listening pleasure. “La La La” is some kind of glam-pop, mean faced love song with a killer guitar interlude that will make fans of BIG STAR and CHEAP TRICK wet their pants. On “Axolotl” Shea sings about a confusing experience at a Building 19, while some melancholy variety of synth pop-folk rock winds along somewhere below. Grab a tape from BUFU and check out the rest of this batch of 11 underground pop nuggets. Some of Boston underground pop’s finest right here.

Catch the TAPE RELEASE SHOW: 2/1 Hassle Night w/ Needy Visions (Tape Release Show!!), Great Valley (Brattleboro, VT), Fume Hood & Free Pizza DJs all night @ Lilypad ALL AGES 10pm