Some of the influences listed on the website for The Perms are Weezer, The Beatles, The Cars, and The Beach Boys. First track off the album and you can tell. As you travel through the 10 track album said influences pop up here and there but the way in which the band converts their influences into a coherent sound all their own is pretty enjoyable.

I’ll admit it is a little off putting how the bands overall sound on Sofia Nights is a bit throwback. In this day and age though it seems everyone is revisiting the past across the board, but The Perms manage to do it moving forward. There are traces of the melodic harmonies of Brian Wilson and The Beach Boys, some retro sounding late 70’s/early 80’s new wave of The Cars, and of course the newer stuff like Handsome Devil, The Red Buttons, and Weezer shining through. What keeps the album from stagnating is the bands energy and delivery. At times it can be as endearing as hearing a local garage band at a party where everyone’s talking about having some beers, being with friends, and where the next party might be when this one hits last call. Then the bands delivery shifts to something completely focused that demands your full on attention. I enjoyed the album but felt like some of the guitar work should have been touched up on the album. At times it comes across lazily and unfocused but other then that its not a bad album. Be sure to hit the link to the bands official website where they are streaming the entire album and make your own judgment call. Enjoy.