by Dan Goldin (@post_trash_)
New York’s Pleaser is the duo of Carrie Furniss (ex-Birthing Hips) and Travis Hagan (halfsour), but knowing their previous work doesn’t really paint the picture that is their latest band. Having already played together in Patty Melt (who released an album last August), the duo go for a decidedly more electronic sound with Pleaser, a band that finds the pair influenced primarily by dating based reality shows. Their latest EP, Rose Ceremony, is appropriately named for their Bachelor referencing music, and the theme runs deep throughout the EP. Due out May 29th via Anxiety Pop Records (Temporary Eyesore, Banana, Horse Girl), the band have shared both “Passwords” and “The Ballad” on their Bandcamp, songs that definitely set the mood and tone of Pleaser with their synthetic pulse and the duel vocals of Furniss and Hagan.
“Are You Listening To Me?” feels as though pulled from a cold robotic future, the song' opening with a haunting stab of synths and a metronomic beat. Furniss’ voice and sense for stranger melodies is perfect for the claustrophobic terror, glitch framework, and minimalist dread the single offers. The song does eventually break with a evil sort of disco beat, warped and dark, restrained with mechanical precision. Furniss’ lyrics “can you see me through the camera, can you touch me like a keyboard, can you take me out to dinner, can you keep me up all night” are repeated with their own pull between electronic life and real life, a desire to find something real, whether genuine or not. As we’re all drawn to our computers and phones, it’s fun to acknowledge the disconnect.