by Dan Goldin (@post_trash_)
Toronto record label Art Of The Uncarved Block has a knack for finding great bands with ultra-unsearchable names. Their roster includes bands: Fond (check this one out, it’s very good), Chris, Tang, Fool, and now the excellent experimental bedroom pop of PAX. The once solo project of Madeline Link (also of Triples), the band has since grown, but their latest album, Ouch, is the creation of a singular mind, a singular voice, one that’s steeped in minimalism but still adept at pushing the boundaries of their songwriting. Using manipulated tape sounds and vivid swirls of melodic dissonance akin to Mega Bog or Helvetia’s earliest output, Ouch is a fantastic album that truly gets better with every listen. Originally released last summer as a digital download, Art Of The Uncarved Block are set to reissue the album on January 25th with an expanded cassette and two bonus tracks.
One of those new songs is “Dry Ur Eyes,” and we’re excited to share the dark and layered video that most certainly keeps with the lo-fi aesthetic of the music. Just over a minute long, the song makes use of its constricted time and stretches every note to feel slow and expansive, the vocals offered one syllable at a time. It’s a great example of PAX’s compositional prowess, a blend of acoustic strumming, dreary melodies, and the fuzzy, distorted, left-turns that really set Link’s songwriting apart in the best of ways. For one radiant minute (and twelve seconds) you can transcend and find comfort.
PAX’s Ouch reissue is out January 25th via Art Of The Uncarved Block.