The Big Pink “Future This”
80. The Big Pink Future This
Vinyl LP, 2012, 4AD, CAD-3201
These guys opened for Wolf Alice a few weeks back. I unfortunately missed their set, but I’ll always buy merch. I got no idea what they sound like.
The opening track, “Stay Gold,” is cloyingly anthemic in the manner that Gen Y kids seem to enjoy. It’s not bad, but it’s a fairly generic example of what counts as “indie rock” in the twenty-teens. Track two, “Hit the Ground (Superman),” is, aside from its awful name, a step in a better direction. It’s built upon a driving synth line a’ la Depeche Mode, and this is blended effectively into an indie pop song structure that feels like it’s from 2005. Again, the production is quite glossy and the choruses are huge and artificial-feeling, but there’s enough tweaks song-by-song to keep things from getting overwhelming.
The best tracks are ones like “Give it Up,” where the sound is nearly as earnest as it is big. The tracks where they seem to be reaching for pop success aren’t great, although they never become repulsive enough to fit in with mainstream FM radio. This is, in short, an uneven release, and even its best songs aren’t really doing much you can’t find elsewhere. Still, a handful of tracks could probably find a place in some workout playlists.
