Detroit’s TYVEK return to the crime of the west coast scene for the first time since 2017!

Throughout perpetual, necessary shifting, Detroit's TYVEK have remained a singular force. The group was formed somewhere in the mid-aughts by songwriter, vocalist, guitarist, and sole consistent band member Kevin Boyer, who enlisted various friends to cultivate a raw, rudimentary punk sound that manages to get back to basics while at the same time presenting abstract perspectives and weird concepts not normally explored by your everyday garage band. There have been mutations over the years as the band toured regularly and released a run of solid albums with labels like Siltbreeze and In The Red, but with every reformation, Tyvek still did'nt sound quite like anyone else. Their new album, the self released Overground (Ginkgo, 2023), stays true to their reputation for delivering hit after hit of blistering punk and remains tightly wound until it unspools into the dreamlike title track, an extended post Velvets plea for human decency. Tyvek's current line-up of all-stars guarantee an intense live show: Shelley Salant (Shells, XV), Alex Glendening (Deadbeat Beat), Fred Thomas (Idle Ray), and Emily Roll (XV) channel the high-energy rock'n'roll of Detroit's past while side-stepping the cliches to push forward into an uncharted future.

On a brand new page that somehow retains the core excitement and sharpness that’s been there since the band began 15 years ago, Overground snaps its songs into tight focus, with guitars loudly coming unglued in the foreground while frantic beats, scattershot lyrics, and unhinged saxophone all buzz in support. It’s more than punk, it’s less than punk. Eleven new songs (nine of which top out at two minutes or less) find Tyvek in a natural continuation of their singular vision, with their unique state of musical tension reaching a new frequency and bandleader Kevin Boyer’s lyrics landing in a gray area between scrawled observations from deep within an internal monologue and dreamlike social critique.

"Detroit’s Tvyek are revered DIY lifers, still flying the lo-fi flag nearly 20 years into their existence, laying it all on the line via cheaply recorded two-minute punk blasts informed by the Ramones, The Fall, Television Personalities, etc, but shot through their distinctive Midwest Michigan worldview. Overground is Tyvek’s first album in six years and is a welcome return — 11 bleaty jams flecked with skronky sax, frontman Kevin Boyer’s free association (but thoughtful) lyrics and more musical finesse than the hissy recordings may suggest. Tyvek burn through the first 10 songs in less than 20 minutes before letting things stretch out on the seven-minute title track where Boyer sees a rudderless world “braindead on karaoke” and wonders “Is it too late to be stateless? / It’s hard not to feel powerless / But we’re capable of so much.” May Tyvek continue to search for answers for some time to come.” - Brooklyn Vegan (2023)

"The Detroit punks Tyvek flex their mastery over their multifaceted sound—these detail-stuffed songs are fast and staid, intense and gentle, paranoid and curious.” - Pitchfork