Plosivs are a new band with a lot of familiar faces. And, consequently, familiar voices too.
Comprised of John Reis (Hot Snakes/Rocket From The Crypt/Drive Like Jehu), Rob Crow (Pinback), Atom Willard (Against Me!) and Jordan Clark (Mrs. Magician), it delivers almost exactly what you’d expect. It has Reis’ entrenched rock ‘n’ roll sensibility and surf-tinged, hook-driven, punked-up power-pop with Pinback’s softer vocal tones layered over pop beats and subtly shifting bass patterns. Reis’ guitars chug and churn like the undercurrent of a river while Crow’s vocals flow smoothly at the surface. It’s an interesting counter style that took me a couple of listens before I was ready to enjoy the ride.
I always appreciated Pinback more than I liked them. I don’t know what the intangible is, but it comes across here too. The first few singles I listened to, prior to the full album, just didn’t hit me like Hot Snakes or Reis’ other work (including a new solo record). It’s less forceful on the surface but, like I said above, that energy and attitude is still there. Plosivs simply present a different personality up front and it’s really interesting how that change affects the overall tone. On the first listen, this felt really sing-song rock ‘n’ roll. Too much melody and not enough ‘tude. (The kind of general vibe that is best explained by dropping lead letters and replacing them with ‘postrophes.)
Playing Plosivs on repeat, my first take was wrong. My conclusion is that Plosivs offers a soothing element that nicely contrasts with the more manic vibe of Reis’ other projects. That same energy is always there, as is the attitude, but Crow makes it feel comforting. The vocals offer more depth and range, with additional layering through the dual guitars. While you typically know in the few seconds what a Reis record will give you, the textures of the record take a while to reveal themselves. It has the same heart, but it’s subtle. And this chill, soothing vibe is a pleasant change of pace given the anxiety we’ve all experienced the past couple of years.
