by Dan Goldin (@post_trash_)
Last year Be You Me, the duo of Jesse Weiss (Palehound, Grass Is Green) and Jack Pombriant (We Can All Be Sorry), released their self-titled debut EP, a record we called "focused and relentlessly interesting." The pair's chemistry was instantly obvious, playing off one another with fluid charm as experimental pop structures bent and twisted. Advance To Boardwalk, the band's sophomore EP is out this Friday, March 23rd, expanding on their Pinback indebted art-rock brilliance, the duo trading off instruments and songwriting touches. It's another impressive record from a band that's far beyond the "side project" tag. Their sound is lush with melodies and casually drifting distortion, built on pop yet devolved with touches of gorgeous punk influence. Be You Me is undeniably the work of a pair that love to record, exploring the studio space adding layers of piano, reverse guitar (courtesy of Alec Pombriant), and enough textures to have you sifting through the gentle fuzz with each listen.
"Really Actually Honestly" sounds as though we might be bracing for something harsh from the title to the opening ring of feedback, but it's merely deceptive. The album's first single quickly smooths out, wasting little time, with each moment utilized to create a dreamy tone and a slinking melody. While Weiss is best known for his drumming, it's his guitar playing, backed by Pombriant's bass that really steal the show here, snaking around the simple beat together with the soft and infectious vocals. There's a sense of liquid-like freedom, this one simply runs downstream, an earworm of manipulated pop nuggets and soft textures.
Be You Me's Advance To Boardwalk is out March 23rd.