by Alyana Vera (@alyanavera)
PACKS’ debut Take The Cake has all the unassuming beauty of nature in suburbia; subtle and spare, the album follows frontwoman Madeline Link as she drifts through post-adolescent malaise. Although the songwriting was split between Toronto and the Ottawa suburbs, PACKS’ hazy and introspective grunge seems much more attuned to the mundanity that lies just beyond city limits. Link returned home during the pandemic, and any young adult who made that journey could tell you how disorienting it can be to be back in a place you felt you’d outgrown. But on Take The Cake, it’s home that has outgrown you. The romantic gloss Link imparts on everyday life doesn’t hide the disconnect between Link and the world around her as she struggles to find her place within it.
On “Two Hands” Link sings about feeling out of depth in a familiar place. Unlike The Simpsons’ Springfield, Link’s hometown has changed since she last saw it and she struggles to feel at ease in it, singing “don’t know the reason why I feel / Like I’m wading through some swampland.” On “Silvertongue,” the album’s sludgy single, Link finds herself stuck in an on-and-off-again relationship and in a moment of clarity asks herself “do you even want to escape?” This alienated quality reverberates throughout Take The Cake—on “New TV” Link witnesses the “deal of a century” but feels numb to it while drifting clouds and blaring sirens distract her from picking a movie on “Blown By The Wind.” Although the album is primarily concerned with that feeling of being unmoored, there are still moments of unabashed optimism. “Clingfilm” juxtaposes hopeless romanticism (“I am faithless / But I’m kissing you without a doubt”) with body horror (“My guts are wrapped in clingfilm”) to convey the awkward yet hopeful feeling of dating post-breakup. “My Dream” is an unexpectedly tender instrumental that helps break up the album’s heavy melancholy.
Link has already spoken about the influence of bands like Wavves and The Strokes on PACKS, and these sonic touch-points lend Take The Cake a warm, nostalgic sound. What sets this debut apart from standard filler indie is Link’s own stylish delivery and incisive lyrics. Link spruces up the short and sweet lyricism on “Hold My Hand” by letting her voice carry lines like “would you fly three thousand miles just to hold my hand” and “You could have killed that girl” in instantly memorable ways. On “Hangman,” soft-strumming accompanies Link’s barely-there voice as it swells into a plaintive cry that is equally understated and heartbreaking.
Lyrically, “Hangman” is ripe for interpretation, mentioning both the Devil and the Hangman. In Tarot, The Devil represents a feeling of being trapped, whereas The Hanged Man can be interpreted as metamorphosis or finding release from the old patterns. If Link spends most of Take The Cake feeling stuck or trapped, then album closer “U Can Wish All U Want” promises her a metamorphosis. Still a metaphorical caterpillar, Link sings “let’s stick together / I don’t quite know my way around just yet,” and maybe the release comes from accepting that there will always be growing pains. As it stands, PACKS are still in their larva stage, which makes their debut all the more exciting. Stick around to watch them get their wings—and until then, Take The Cake will be here to keep you company in limbo.