by Niccolo Dante Porcello (@niccoloporcello)
Temporary Eyesore, the eponymous new record from Zoe Wyner (halfsour), is another entry into the Anxiety Pop Records canon of spry, essential rock records. A brief 13 minutes of existential riffing, Temporary Eyesore is a diaristic trip with specific emotions religiously and cathartically displayed. Like much of Wyner’s songwriting, it is intensely relatable without being trite. Each of the four songs on Temporary Eyesore presents a different emotional experience, all partially related to the travails of being in relationships platonic and otherwise. Together, the album forms something of a suite — each song inherently, if not canonically related to each other.
The opener “Ceiling Fan” swells and expands from a quiet opening into a delightfully scuzzy treatise on the ennui inherent in any relationship. In a similar vein, “Heathered” relates the intense confusion and complications of leaving someone. A straightforward guitar progression carries the track forwards, backed by a simple and fitting drum pattern from Catylyn Finlay. “Spun” winds and builds, finally cresting, mirroring Wyner’s descriptions of doubt being cast by others manifesting as self-doubt and the release that comes from understanding such feelings. The final entry ensuite is “Walk” a roiling, furious musing on independence.
The unadorned, solid playing from both Wyner and Finlay is the perfect pairing for the subject matter at hand; Anxiety’s Pop’s oeuvre is built on records that combine unpretentious punk rock with cutting and relatable lyrics, and Temporary Eyesore is another great entry into the canon. Although Wyner’s songs fit well in the confessional style currently so popular, she avoids becoming mechanical about it, using strange turns of phrase that result in rewardingly catchy and interesting songs. Here, simply laid out, they manifest as fleeting thoughts captured in short bursts, rendered with punkish abandonment. Taking after so many relationships, it is all too brief.
Temporary Eyesore is out 6/1 on Anxiety Pop and Lost Sound Tapes.
Upcoming Shows:
6/02 - Boston, MA @ The ER w/ Cotton Candy, Hothead, & Splitting Image (Album Release show)
6/21 - Boston, MA @ Club Bohemia w/ Shady Bug, Mini Dresses, & Beverly Tender