by Kris Handel
Sharp Pins is the Midwest based project of Kai Slater. It’s a project that tends to highlight sharp beat-pop/mod melodies with a lo-fi quirk that hits the bullseye in all its aims. Slater has quite a knack for mixing Elephant-6 indebted nostalgia into songwriting with an added bite of dry modern wit and a touch of cynicism. He manages to blend romanticism with a bit of an edge to classic melodies aided by ringing guitar apt to leave a quirky smile on the audience’s faces. The Lifeguard guitarist combines classic pop melodicism with a bit of bitter and wry innocence that recalls bands like The Barracudas and Shoes while managing to keep tethered to the issues of the present times on Radio DDR.
“Every Time I Hear” kicks off the album in a layer of cloudy psychedelia and style reminiscent of Tobin Sprout-fronted Guided by Voices mixed with the jangle of a band like Let’s Active. Slater’s slightly anglophile vocals sparkle alongside the jangling guitars and bouncing bass-line, as the song mixes lo-fi charm with an earworm vocal hook that delivers on multiple levels. “If I Was Ever Lonely” adds bite to shiny melodies, yet Slater’s vocals carry a bit of sneer as the rhythms slithers around the bitter undertones. Slater melds the sour and sweet in exemplary form as the backing bangs away with foundations full of deceptively sweet underpinnings.
“Sycophant” bares the influence of the softer moments of Alex Chilton, as Slater wordlessly hums his whimsical way over churning acoustic guitar and intricate song structure. Slater’s mastery of blending folk with updated chiming and falsetto vocals is enchanting on this track, traveling between space and time with a comfortable familiarity. “When You Know” returns to a sharp punk dissonance as distorted guitar lines combine to ramp up the intensity as Slater’s multi-tracked vocals add layer upon layer of intrigue. Slater’s vocals add a nice muscle that ebbs and flows as his drumming throbs and crashes, breaking up the sweetness that is the foundation for his incisive harmony-laden songcraft.
Sharp Pins continue to deliver records that are inspired by the seemingly simple jangle of bands like Big Star and the Hollies, yet manage to meet those high standards of crafty and intelligent songwriting in a modern and inventive manner. Slater has managed to craft a power-pop work of art that pays its respect to its influences yet moves the bar forward with a surging power that deserves attention. Sharp Pins have once again created an album that pays its respects power-pop legends while managing to stay true to their own vision of heartbreak and subversive melodic comeuppance.