“Time’s a lost cause,” sings Rex Thurstan in the first verse of “No One Tastes Like You,” the catchy, bracing, lovelorn new single from Litvar. Young though he may be, the Willimantic, Connecticut singer-guitarist feels the press of days, hears the tick of the clock and longs to rewind. A relationship has slipped away — and he’s coming to terms with the terrible irreplaceability of what’s gone. As a story, it’s heartbreaking. As the subject of an upbeat, frenetic, barnstorming rock song, its letter-perfect. “No One Tastes Like You” is an expression of the romantic urgency that motivates all of the best pop-rock and pop-punk. Love was there – now it’s gone, and all that’s left is to fill the void with reverberations of protest against the cruelty of fate.
Fans of the group would expect nothing less. In a very short time, Litvar has earned a reputation for passion, emotion, intensity, and crisp, smart storytelling — and word of their talent has spread far beyond their native New England. The Greatest Movie Of All Time, the band’s 2020 debut album, announced the arrival of a band with a fully-formed identity: a bit cheeky, relentlessly tuneful, energetic and wonderfully sugar-fixed, undeniably smart, led by a pair of songwriters who are wise beyond their years. “Greatest Movie” used the language of early ’00s online culture to comment on generational confusion, romantic aspirations, and the difficulty of maintaining connections. Other bands found themselves at loose ends during the pandemic. Litvar found themselves with a project that addressed our global dilemma unsparingly. Their reputation for candor and trenchancy has only grown.
It also doesn’t hurt that they’re electrifying in concert. They’ve overcome the challenges of isolation and toured widely, and with each show, they’ve grown a little tighter, a little louder, and a little closer. The Litvar that recorded “No One Tastes Like You” is a chosen family in the truest sense — and from the first downstroke to the last cymbal crash, they sound ferociously together. They’re an irresistible unit in the clip for “No One Tastes Like You,” walking Main Street and the back alleys of Willimantic and setting up, plugging in, and roaring, right in the shadow of the footbridge over the river. With music as good as theirs, they know they’ll soon belong to the world. But before they do, they’re going to make sure you know exactly where they’re coming from.
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