The Return Of The Return Of The Rentals

By Tankboy in Arts & Entertainment on May 16, 2015 4:00PM

Photo by Brantley Gutierrez

Matt Sharp has to be annoyed that people still refer to him as "the former bassist of Weezer." I mean, look, we just did it too! It can't be avoided. But Weezer is a mere footnote in Sharp's musical output, with his band The Rentals also taking center stage since forming in the mid-'90s. In a decade known for a plethora of one-hit wonders, The Rentals delivered with 1995's hit track "Friends Of P." Admit it, you're totally humming it to yourself right now.

But the band deserves more recognition than for a single song. Their 1995 debut, Return Of The Rentals, was a space-age power pop masterpiece, and its 1999 followup Seven More Minutes at times buckled under its own ambition but largely saw Sharp and his band pushing their boundaries with impressive results. Maybe they stretched a little too far though since The Rentals disbanded after that album and everyone figured that was that.

But you can't keep a good band down. Sharp reformed the group in 2005 and has since released a few EPs and done a bit of touring. We figured it was just going to be a side concern of his, though, so we were surprised when The Rentals released their first full-length in 15 years with 2014's Lost In Alphaville. The album sees The Rentals straddling the line between power pop and space epic ambition, and it feels like the band has rediscovered their balance. The huge choruses and tank-tread guitars are back alongside the band's signature male and female vocal interplay that lends a crunchy glaze to the whole thing, which should come across really well when the band plays a headlining show at Bottom Lounge tonight.

The Rentals play tonight, May 16, at Bottom Lounge, 1375 W. Lake St. at 9 p.m., $15, 17+