Puffer, Small Pleasures, Chrome Harvest, and Temps
Puffer - Street Hassle
Street Hassle is the best punk record I’ve heard in years! There’s something about Quebec, man. In the pre-internet and pre-smart phone world, the coolest music was made in the most remote places. The rural punks that had really only heard about punk made the best stuff, and Quebec is somehow still a bit like this. Not that the music is uninformed. It’s very aware of the history, but sounds totally like its own thing. Puffer have bonkers guitars. They rip and soar. They solo and riff with intent and without hesitation. The rhythm section does more than hold it together, they join the mob. They push the running back over the goalline. The singer hawks and spits words through clenched teeth in a way I’ve never heard before. The whole band plays like they have nothing to prove. Naming your album after the best Lou Reed song? Very cool. This band is very cool. Holy fuck.
Small Pleasures - Songs For Lovers
Small Pleasures takes a drum kit, a bass guitar and two voices and creates a pretty special listening experience. From the instrumental drone of “Waves” to the laid-back gothy sweetness of title track “Songs For Lovers”, to the driving mid-tempo bangers like “New Year”, Small Pleasures explore all of the things that Post-Punk can be and invent some new ones along the way. As the title suggests, they are love songs. Just really cool ones.
Chrome Harvest - Self Titled
There is a dark side to the newest album from Lethbridge’s Chrome Harvest. It’s folk music, at its core, but it is wildly dynamic. It sounds raw and lo-fi, and it picks up everything. The vocals swing from singular whispers of secret diary entries to cool, casual, pretty harmonies to group hollering of forbidden hymns. The music ripples and swirls around the vocals. Musically, it delves into Do Make Say Think style post rock and dips its toe into Phil Elevrum weirdness. There isn’t a weak track in the bunch. Chrome Harvest are a powerhouse.
Temps - Wayside EP
Wayside EP is a masterclass in guitar work. The two guitars dance delicately, march steadily, and veer in different directions like fighter jets. Temps is jazzy, poppy, and mathy. There are bits and pieces of familiar sounds, like Each Other, Freak Heat Waves, The Sea & Cake, Deerhoof, Women, but Temps doesn’t really sound like any of them. It’s only three songs! A nibble of greatness.
