by Jare C (@jareccurtis)
Egg punk is really, really cool. A subgenre with an emphasis on high energy performances, bouncy rhythms, and groovy guitar lines coupled with emphatic vocal performances, the typical bite-sized tracks are perfect for the internet age. This genre, thankfully, has been exploding as of late, spurring dozens and dozens of new acts to try their hand at poppy, experimental, joyful punk cuts. Cleveland’s PAL is one of the latest up and comers, and on their debut LP PALS, they demonstrate exactly how much potential is in their future.
Straight from the jumping point of the eleven minute jaunt, the band bursts open with the catchy puncher “Burger Boy,” a track with a tune straight from an early 2000s PBS cartoon. Alternatively, the pulsating and meandering “Safety Corridor” describes an act of promiscuous subterfuge, with a delivery and comic resonance not unlike some of the best cuts from the Cheekface discography. The following “Perfect Person” and “Short Circuit” are speedy tunes that showcase the bands complimentary dry delivery and energetic, tight instrumentation, sucking the listener right in, taking them for a rollercoaster ride, and dropping them off at the gate asking “woah, what happened?!”.
PALS is a great example of what a debut record should do. It provides an introduction to a band that is clearly hungry to break out and show what they can do, while still being incredibly well produced, funny, catchy, and succinctly and tightly played. The musicianship and creativity here holds a lot of promise and the eclectic dissonance of this group all but guarantees that the band has absolutely nowhere to go but up.