Come Closer

Pretty Garbage

Written by: PP on 27/06/2021 13:27:58

Come Closer is a new project by J Wang, whose name you might recognize from cult punk rockers Tiltwheel who released three albums between 1996 and 2010. For his solo project, he has grabbed Davey Quinn from the same band as well as Chris Prescott from Rocket For The Crypt, so quite the roster for a punk rock upstart. No wonder "Pretty Garbage" is anything but its title: a soothing and bright piece of indie-flavored punk rock that charms you on first listen.

As the record kicks off with "Get It Wrong", the smoke-laden, faded vocals immediately draw your attention to the slower songs on Dillinger Four's masterpiece "C I V I L W A R" from 2008. It's a playful, buzzing track with distinct upbeat feel-good vibes all around, resulting in a melodic, instantly likable atmosphere that just makes you feel like you're at home. With stylistic references to Beach Slang on "Bad Skin" and its life-affirming guitar melodies complete with scratchy, faded-back vocals flying high in the soundscape, you start to get a picture that Come Closer is drenched in vibrant nostalgia for good times gone by.

For the remainder of the record, J Wang takes us into the fuzzy worlds of bands like Dinosaur Jr, The Replacements, and Superchunk, delivering song after song of back-chilling melodies that feel oh-so-familiar despite this being the first time you'll hear them. Its reverb-laden guitars and unassuming, laid-back vocals disappear all the worries and have you dancing, humming, and nodding your head right away. There's depth on the record, yet every song is infectiously catchy in its own manner. It has all the ingredients to become a cult classic: just polished enough to appeal to a wider audience, but with enough grit in the vocals to underline J Wang's punk rock background. What a wonderful surprise, although given the talent on the roster, it is unsurprising that "Pretty Garbage" is actually Pretty Damn Good.

8

Download: Mayday, Bad Skin, Footsteps, Get It Wrong
For the fans of: Dinosaur Jr, Superchunk, Beach Slang, The Replacements, Dillinger Four, The Downtown Struts
Listen: Bandcamp

Release date 09.04.2021
Pirates Press Records

Related Items | How we score?
Comments
comments powered by Disqus

Legal

© Copyright MMXXIV Rockfreaks.net.