Progressive Soul Band The Sh-Booms Release New Concept EP with Ybor Show

Once self-described as “garage soul from the sunshine state”, Orlando’s The Sh-Booms seem to have outgrown their own label in recent years.

The band’s latest EP, This is a Test, released March 10, makes it clear that The Sh-Booms are not just another neo-soul group. The record pushes deep into new territory, both in concept and musical styles, as it explores the connection between two astronauts on a journey into the unknown.

The music is laser-focused, not in a singular style, but in its mad, surgical stitching of sounds. It’s a Dr. Funkenstein’s monster made from the bodies of 9 music nerds. Between haunting organ notes, space-age synthesizer sounds, swinging horn fills, and frantic guitar riffs, Brenda Radney’s raw, emotional vocals are the instrument that truly shines through, blending all the ingredients together with a spoonful of honey.

Ahead of This is a Test’s streaming release, The Sh-Booms introduced the new EP with a show at Ybor City’s Crowbar last Saturday, with vinyl copies available at the merch table.

But the group didn’t come alone, they brought along some loud, heavy, local friends. St. Petersburg hardcore band, Last Bias opened the show with ‘90s alt rock riffs and screaming vocals, before Orlando’s Skeletizer dialed up the doom with a relentless metal set.

Tampa’s own Hovercar was up next. With drummer Alton Plemmons driving the grunge train, Nikki Raven bringing the guitar fuzz while softening the sound with her lyrics, and newly added member Kirsten Clauser holding down the groove on bass, the trio certainly made a splash, regularly reminding the crowd of their adopted motto, “Fuck ICE”.

When the nine members of The Sh-Booms squeezed onto the stage, all but their vocalist were dressed in flight suits, nodding to the theme of their new EP. In a display of true Florida fashion, Trumpet player, Will Duran, had cut the legs of his suit into shorts.

The band launched right into the new tracks, playing them in order, starting with the uneasy synth build of “Love of a Ghost”, backing its anxious lyrics with a surprisingly danceable rhythm. The speed and energy continued rising with the title track, “This is a Test”, as Radney belted the lyrics “Are you feeling slightly unnerved? Hold on tight as we take flight”.

 With the scene now set, the band settled into a more pop-influenced R&B sound with “Broken Open”, concluding with Radney asking the crowd “can I come down now?”

The vocalist stepped off stage, sprinkling the lyrics of “Sin & The City” among the audience, slowly drawing them in before perching herself between the stage speakers for the song’s climax.

After the conclusion of This is a Test’s cosmic love story, The Sh’Booms shifted into the hits, starting with “Leon the Hustler”, a song from their 2019 album, The Blurred Odyssey, reminiscent of The Temptations’ psychedelic ‘70s era. Nina Simone’s “Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood” later followed, slowing down the set while keeping the psychedelic soul rolling.

As the heartbreak horns of “Audible” kicked in for the band’s last song, Brenda Radney called an audible of her own. “Fuck it, I’m coming down”, the singer announced.

Radney mingled among the crowd, dancing to the rhythm while inviting others to do the same. As the musical tension built on stage, she began crying the lyrics “I can see right through your lying eyes”, eventually dropping to the floor for the last few lines in an emotionally powerful conclusion to the show.

The Sh-booms’ This is a Test EP is available on streaming platforms now.

Hovercar’s latest single, “Figurines”, is available at https://hovercar.bandcamp.com/.