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Screaming Females

Desire Pathway

Written by: PP on 02/04/2023 12:37:23

Marissa Paternoster's vocal style has always been an acquired taste. Her style is high-pitched, but somehow off-putting in its tone, but it does have the benefit of standing out from the crowd. Screaming Females have at least in recent years aligned closer to the post-punk realm given their subdued instrumentation and artsy tendencies, but here on their eighth album "Desire Pathway", they also bring in ideas from the 70s and 80s-style classic rock and album-oriented-rock (AOR), which the beautiful "Beyond The Void" is a brilliant example of.

But back to Paternoster's vocals. Her mid-range delivery and unconventional delivery means her efforts are very much hit-and-miss. For every harmonious and immediately catchy chorus melody as in the aforementioned track, they have another couple of mediocre songs like "Brass Bell" that irritate my ears due to her style. The thing is: she can be a sublime singer, as is the case on "Mourning Dove", a more traditional alternative rock track with punk and indie undertones embedded within. But it's when she goes for the off-tune material, like on "It's All Said And Done", where most people fall off the wagon. It's too weird sounding to appeal but to a nichést of niché crowds.

"Ornament" is another example of where Screaming Females get it just right. Here, the vocal harmonies, the upbeat guitars, and the 70s vibes merge in a perfectly balanced cocktail that results in a memorable song overall. The more balladic love song "So Low" sees Paternoster opt for a more introspective lyrical universe, and alongside the casually plucked chords, the song has just the right amount of punch to elevate it above what I usually consider pointless ballads and into one of the best songs on the record.

Most importantly, "Desire Pathway" might the Screaming Females album with the most accessible songs thus far. Even the guitar-heavy tracks like "Titan" are easily absorbable, perhaps because Paternoster opts for more normalized singing throughout this record than is usually the case on their records. At least for the undersigned, there are enough solid songs here to finally be convinced about Screaming Females, where none of the previous albums have quite done it for me thus far.

Download: Beyond The Void, Ornament, So Low, Titan
For the fans of: Terrible Feelings, Patti Smith, Dinosaur Jr
Listen: Facebook

Release date 17.02.2023
Don Giovanni Records