by Al Crisafulli (@Sugarblastmusic)
NYC trio Ribbon Stage is all ragged, fuzzed-out, minimalist pop. Relative newcomers as a band, its members earned their DIY stripes some time ago, stand-up drummer Dave Sweetie a former member of Mexico-based punks Ratas Del Vaticano and guitarist Jolie M-A an erstwhile DJ at WNYU in New York. Vocalist Anni Hilator is a neophyte but sings with the finesse of an indie pop veteran, her subdued phrasing a melodic counterbalance to M-A’s distorted licks. Technically the band’s second release, their five-song, eight-minute 2020 demo attracted the attention of K Records, who issued it as the My Favorite Shrine 7” during that uneasy summer, a simple and sunny slab of wax that carved a sugary path through the tension of pandemic NYC, at least temporarily.
Enter Hit With The Most, the band’s latest. Intended as a love letter to its obvious early ‘80s pop influences but hitting those same sweet spots as Austin’s Chronophage or even NYC’s Weak Signal, the album’s eleven tracks are mostly distorted guitars over mid-tempo slacker rock. Ribbon Stage is big on subtlety, vocals back in the mix and nary a cymbal on the record – the result is an almost unwavering focus on simplicity and melody. It isn’t until the deliberately off-key opening seconds of the album’s seventh track, “Her Clock Tower,” a genuine guitar freakout, that the band’s noisy punk roots really make themselves known. They remain front and center for the balance of the album as the tempo picks up with “Hearst,” followed by the softly-spoken vocals and off-kilter riffs of “It’s Apathy” – one of the album’s strongest tracks.
This is not to suggest the first half of the album is lacking. Sweet and catchy but with dark undertones, “No Alternative” asks “Is this the way out? A nervous breakdown?” while the following track, “Nowhere Fast” ponders “Looking back, another spiral of self-destruction…I feel nothing, going nowhere.” It’s perfect pop, with buzzsaw guitars and singable melodies masking the almost desperate emptiness of post-pandemic life. The band describes it as “Hooks, lyrics, melody, tears” without reference to the uncanny ways the hooks and melody mask the lyrics and the tears.
Clocking in at just under twenty minutes, Hit With The Most feels like an LP, a fully-formed collection of exhilarating fuzz-pop that lasts as long as a full-length, because when it’s over you’re bound to play it through a second time.