Family Worship Center (probably a cult)
Just when you think you have your whole life mapped out in terms of the genres that define you, you get thrown for a loop by a gospel-infused pop-rock throwback. Friends and fellow music lovers, please allow us to introduce the magnetically mystifying sounds of Portland’s Family Worship Center and their latest single, “Buggin’ Out Pt. 2.”
If you hop onto Netflix or Hulu and search for documentaries about cults, you'll likely discover more titles than you could comfortably watch in a lifetime. There’s nothing wrong with that, either, as there has always been a strange fascination with the subject. Perhaps that’s why we found ourselves so drawn to this tune. The group admittedly named the band after some “strange, cult-leaning text unearthed during a cross-country field recording journey.”
It’s weird, but we feel pulled toward “Buggin’ Out Pt. 2.” It’s as if Family Worship Center are the Pied Pipers of the Pacific Northwest, luring unsuspecting music fans to their fate with a distinctly 1970s Labi Siffre-meets-Steely Dan je ne sais quoi. This isn't the sort of track you typically find among contemporary submissions. Instead, it feels like a time capsule from an era when bands packed themselves into a studio and recorded live. It’s got the Wrecking Crew-style rhythm section, the Rhodes, and the f'ing horn section to prove it.
The vocal performance follows suit, conjuring a wave of late-1960s nostalgia. Between gloriously subtle bursts of wakka-chikka guitar, the lyrics frame the song as a confession, with the narrator admitting to having left something valuable behind without thinking clearly. The regret in the line “took my home for granted” is unmistakable, adding another layer to the song’s strange mystique and reinforcing the peculiar charm of this masterpiece.
Because “Buggin’ Out Pt. 2” is so far removed from our wheelhouse, we will never be able to fully explain the reasoning behind its magnificent existence. We encourage you to press play, but please understand that you run the risk of being brainwashed, just as we were. Some songs simply defy explanation and demand surrender.
“Buggin’ Out Pt. 2” comes from the LP Only Visiting, available everywhere. Connect with Family Worship Center: Instagram | Spotify | Facebook | Bandcamp | Website
Hear this tune and 99 others in our Top 100: