Solids is a guitar-and-drum duo consisting of Xavier Germain and Louis Guillemettte.  They play a brand of ’90s rock that has been compared to Dinosaur Jr. and Sonic Youth, but to me sounds a lot more like their contemporaries and fellow Canadians Japandroids, especially the tone of the guitar.  I would not be surprised if the two bands have a similar array of effects pedals.  Where Solids stands out is that through the intense wall of fuzz they have created, there are actually pleasant melodies.  Sometimes, that much noise is used to disguise a lack of hooks, but they manage to deliver a catchy product.  It can be hard to judge a band on the strength of just two songs, but Solids’ latest seven-inch leaves me eager to hear what else they can do.

(Machette Records, 2158 de Lorimier, Montreal, QC  H2K 3X1 Canada)