Playing Favorites

The Philadelphia rockers sign to Third Man, try a few new tricks, and kick out the jams with some diminishing returns.

Philadelphia hard-rockers Sheer Mag rig sadness into joy on 'Playing Favorites,' their third LP and Third Man Records debut.

Sheer Mag are still skilled at creating a vibe, and this time around it’s a positively fun one.

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Philadelphia four-piece Sheer Mag are a band that manage a rare trick. Interlacing classic rock with NYC-inspired punk, they offer the warm satisfaction of the former while exuding the street cool and incisiveness of the latter.

Sheer Mag – Playing Favorites album review: A quest for the perfect guitar pop song that never gets tired

‘Playing Favorites’ proves that Sheer Mag can show off their softer underbelly just as skillfully as they do their fangs.

What started life as a disco EP designed to help the band through personal difficulties has evolved into a refined, joyful take on their distortion-lagged rock