Pity Sex

White Hot Moon

Written by: LF on 18/01/2017 12:18:34

Pity Sex from Ann Arbor, Michigan released their second full-length last year. Subsequently, they have gone on an indefinite hiatus after the announcement that vocalist and guitarist Britty Drake would leave the band. Their hazy and repetitive blend of shoegaze, indie rock and emo has intrigued me in the past but for a 39-minute record, their longest release so far, there's just not enough to shake it up.

The tempo waves back and forth nicely across the record for some variation but the songs that make the best impressions here are often the slower, more thoughtful ones that get time to develop. A good example is the delicate "September" that maintains a tension throughout for an unresolved mood that works magnetically to keep the listener's interest. Many of the shorter songs here that clock in at less than 3 minutes stop kind of suddenly without really developing anywhere and this is really a shame when the layered sound of the record is not at all unpleasant to delve into. "Burden You" is another standout track that has a cool contrast between delicate, open guitar riffs and crushing, bass-heavy parts that it changes between with a two-bar interval. As all the songs here, it's very repetitive in its pattern but it is also one of the tracks that get to fill out its space and take its time to build up an effective vibe and melody.

The dynamic between male and female vocalists Brennan Greaves and Britty Drake works well, not least when they sing at the same time as in the dark standout track "Nothing Rips Through Me". It delivers a memorable lyric and some nice harmonies that accentuate the melody twice at the same time and sometimes even triple with an instrument playing the same as the two vocals. It goes for both of the vocalists though that they sound removed and emotionally distant throughout the record with no variation. They seem to be used mostly as yet another instrument in the music and the words tend to disappear in the layers of the sound.

This does not exactly make it any easier to connect with the songs and the album ends up as a collection of way too similar songs that wear out the listener despite their initially nice sound. However, if you're really into the lo-fi/shoegaze end of emo-influenced bands, this is probably a record for you.

Download: Nothing Rips Through Me, Burden You, September
For The Fans Of: Lemuria, empire! empire! (i was a lonely estate), The World Is A Beautiful Place And I Am No Longer Afraid To Die, Prawn
Listen: facebook.com/PitySexMI

Release date 29.04.2016
Run For Cover Records

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