La Snacks. Photo provided by the artist
La Snacks is one of so many great Beaumont bands that grew up and left the bayou behind for something more cosmopolitan — Austin, in this case.
But the Golden Triangle’s strange magnetic pull means that a lot of these 409 expats (Ringo Deathstarr, We Were Wolves, I could go on for a while) come back every now and then to re-connect with their hometown audience. And they always come back when they’ve got a new album to promote.
We haven’t seen a full length record from this band since 2008, which makes their new release, Le Dope, a particularly tasty treat for La Snacks fans.
“There is no doubt that 2011 and 2012 were the closest the band came to breaking up,” said lead singer Robert Segovia. “A lot of us went through some pretty major life events and bad
depression. That this record is out is kind of a minor miracle.”
It’s a pretty fun miracle, well-produced, never boring and ideal for the band’s celebration of its 10th year of existence, despite several line-up changes.
If La Snacks celebrates this release with particular fervor — which seems to be the case with such a stacked lineup at Saturday night’s album release party — it’s because they almost didn’t make it this far.
“Playing in a band and being active is super time- and money-consuming,” Segovia said. “There is really no money in music unless you are at the top Lady Gaga level or you are touring over 200 days a year, so I really respect anyone who can do it for any extended period of time, who can put out that second record.”
This second record was well worth the wait. It’s a La Snacks album in every way, down to the societal critiques and literary references tucked away in the lyrics.
Segovia’s vocals — which border on conversational at times, in a lilting and warbly way — pair well with sharp-witted songwriting that explores the sacred to the mundane, bouncing smartly between the two.
“I don’t want to build an empire; I just want to stay awake,” Segovia waxes poetic in “That Old Dirty Word,” right before a near spoken-word rant about attending a Free Week show in Austin.
Segovia’s vocals have a tonal bend that sometimes makes you wonder if he’s in key, just before you realize that even if he isn’t, it works anyway. I call it the Hayes Carll effect.
This is a solid album that’s well worth the money, particularly if you’ve got the necessary hardware to enjoy it on vinyl. But as always with La Snacks, the real beauty is in the live show — after all, they’ve had 10 years to perfect it.
“I think we are the best live we have ever been,” Segovia said. “I think we have always had good songs. I don’t know if we always deserved to play them.”
La Snacks ‘Le Dope’ release show
Featuring: Polyan & The Johnson Sisters, Mad Maude & the Hatters, We Were Wolves
When: 7 p.m. Saturday
Where: The Art Studio, 720 Franklin St., Beaumont
Cost: $5
La Snacks, Le Dope
Rating: 4 cats (out of 5)
Genre: Indie rock/alternative
Buy it: $5 digital download at LaSnacks.Bandcamp.com; $12 vinyl includes a digital download card
beth@thecat5.com
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