Album Review: Bodega – Broken Equipment

Finding the quirk in the vices of today

Eccentric, New York-native indie-rock group Bodega delivers their second album titled Broken Equipment. Filled with subtle sarcasm and peculiar wordplay, this album fuses a range of inspired rock sounds from Ramones-esque punk to 2010s nostalgia from the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Two Door Cinema Club. These 12 tracks share an angst for life’s obstacles, like the draining upkeep of capitalism in “NYC (Disambiguation)” or the looming presence of the patriarchy in “Territorial Call of the Female.” Listeners can be drawn to Bodega’s quirky style and humor for the mundane, appealing to a new generation of rock-rebellion. 

“Doers” is a cheeky ode to Western ideals of prioritizing productivity. The majority of the U.S. population has grown familiar with the symptoms of burnout, and Bodega brings the culture of overwork into conversation with lighthearted humor. Groovy bass and quick-scratchy guitar riffs create a 2000s commercial jingle vibe, drawing in a crowd of millennial listeners to agree with the lyrics that this obsession with output is indeed making one, “bitter, harder, fatter, stressed out”. 

Listeners take a reach for a few decades further with ’80s punk inspiration in “Territorial Call of the Female.” Singer Nikki Belfiglio opts to exude rocker chick defiance, producing a Blondie-inspired tune, telling a story around patriarchal protrusion onto the female experience “when the man is around.” Similar sentiments are relayed into another Belfiglio-led song “Statuette on the Console,” rejecting religious control. It’s a head-bopping, catchy tune with collective background vocals bound to be a fan favorite. 

Eighth track, “How Can I Help Ya” has some Sugar Ray passivity in this storytelling by “playing as an extra” who is “sick of playing protagonist.” This points the finger back to earlier tracks and lends a carefree attitude to the grueling demands of life. “How Can I Help Ya” is the rebellious, careless cousin to Bruno Mars’ “Lazy Song” where both don’t feel like maintaining the main character role. “All Past Lovers” is an equally amusing and outspoken tune. The guitar on this track has more of a ’70s rock flair which owes to the carefree vibe of having these “past lovers live inside of you.” This is the nonchalant humor Bodega throws for listeners to enjoy but also to reflect on what resonates. 

Broken Equipment blends down to an indie-revolutionary character with a peculiar charm. Plenty of listeners can perk their ears up to familiar rock sounds. Bodega’s lyricism and sound leave listeners reminiscent of the indie-rock of our millennia and nods to the inspiration of punk rock from decades before.