Public Pleasure Ultra Cool Charm cassette
There is an elephant that appears in the room as soon as you press play on this Portland band’s latest release: they sound nearly identical to ‘80s SONIC YOUTH, from the stacked-pedal textured guitar squall to the disaffected, exhausted vocals that could be Kim Gordon karaoke. Specifically, PUBLIC PLEASURE pulls from the world of sound and feeling of classic, pre-major SONIC YOUTH jams like “’Cross the Breeze” and “Pacific Coast Highway.” Now, here’s the thing, for me at least: who cares? Loads of bands follow blueprints drawn by the RAMONES or DISCHARGE and sound incredible, and this is no different. PUBLIC PLEASURE captures a specific sound and expands it to new heights. The fuzz-heavy, slightly atonal guitar on “Shelley Duvall’s Cigarette Ash” churns with vacuum tube warmth, and the noisy ambience of “S01” shimmers with heavily distorted beauty. There is a lived-in world-weariness in the songwriting, with lines like “So tired / Bring me to my heart’s desire” on “Portable Zen Garden,” and “Hostility is abundant / Scarcity is abundant / Memory is energy / All palaces are temporary” on “True Hearts,” that maintains a dour mood throughout, and I’m here for it. Recommended!