pulses. made me break the "no reviews till New Years" rule


They told me “fake it till you make it.”


Back in June, Dumfries, VA’s pulses. gave me a preview of their new era by allowing me to hear “XO,” their collaboration with Zac Benson, a bit early and now that the year is winding down that track is coming back up in a big way as I decide on my favorite songs of the year. Now, they’ve given me another sneak peak and while it wasn’t supposed to be this way, it is! It’s another hit too but before we get into it I want to thank pulses. for making me feel like I found my place in this community. When I started this blog all I wanted was to have a conversation about my favorite music and now, I get to share yet another pulses. single before it hits streaming services this Friday.


The intro of this one grabs me immediately in the same way that “Exist Warp Brakes” off Speak it into Existence did back in 2020 while managing to stay so fresh and fit right into the new sound. Kevin delivers this spoken word intro with a hint of near irony in his voice. He really gives the people what they want, dropping an “it’s pulses. baby” right out of the gate and all his quirks and spoken out jokes really get me on the song overall. That is especially true of the final interlude, which I can in no way spoil, but if you’re a fan of Sonic the Hedgehog you’ll really want to run to that one. After the spoken word bit is an instrumental section that is everything I love about pulses. as a band; post-hardcore flair but makes me want to shake it in the club.


They got pulses. on at the club? Alright then!


Moving into the body of the track I catch glimpses of that quip as well, lines about EA and never losing are laced throughout and make a great entry in the catalog. All the vocal performances are something to behold. The flow in the second verse is a huge highlight and coming in clean after a screamed first verse and hook makes it feel like a real special moment. Speaking of, the hook being as heavy as it is while still being catchy? Something to really take note of. When they run it back with grander production and those backing vocals? Even better.


Leading into the breakdown we get a bass riff that has such an impending sense of danger, you are about to get fucked up, do not play with me. That in contrast with more of Kevin’s speeches makes it feel as fun as it is deadly, again, it's the balance that this band pulls off time after time that keeps them high up there for me personally. When you get to the breakdown itself it all comes together.


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The BRAT review

Image
Oh my gosh, Claudia AsterTracks got a review out less than four months after the album is out! In all seriousness, I’ve been sitting on this review for a bit. It always feels weird to post long reviews about huge pop albums being an indie blog. Sometimes they’re just too long for MusicBoard though, so this one fit here. In spite of being gay, formerly terminally online and generally a fan of modern-day pop, I have actually never liked an entire Charli xcx project. I remember a very awkward conversation with an ex once after she found out I find it very hard to get to the end of even the twelve and a half minutes of Vroom Vroom. In spite of all of this I still want to stay current and know what albums are coming out, so I gave BRAT a try and I’m sort of blown away, I absolutely love this one. Something I noticed just minutes into BRAT is how the production is so bare and yet also feels so club ready . Opening track “360’ s ” beat is only about seven notes total with barely a drum...
Read more

Review: Get Off the Internet by Eliminate released via Create Music Group

Image
Sometimes you’re just here for the features. After a bit of a dry spell for me album wise, it was the debut album by dubstep artist Nathan Merrill, better known as Eliminate, which finally got me out of my seat. I’ll be honest, I came here solely because I saw Frost Children and I Set My Friends on Fire on the track list but was pleasantly surprised by the entire record. I had no perception of genre or who this artist was going into it. While I’m not usually a rave girl this is presented in a way where you don’t really have to be to appreciate what’s going on. There are a lot of nice, thought-out moments of downplay which don’t feel overblown or like they’re using cheap shots to make them memorable. It’s all just very real and expressive and most of the time it conveys this without words. The progression and sequencing is all very natural as well, pretty much all of these songs could be used as singles, but they also go hand in hand cohesively. I know I likely sound a little cynical to...
Read more

Review: analysis/paralysis by Four Year Strong released via Pure Noise

Image
Four Year Strong is a band who has always meant a lot to me growing up in New England. While I Specifically spent my adolescence in RI, Worcester was only a forty-minute ride and most of the shows I attended were out there. I'm less online now, but I have a feeling I know the consensus on this record isn't very hot. Being an over twenty-year-old easycore band in a time where scene bands are nostalgic acts can't be easy. But to be honest I quite enjoyed this one. Analysis paralysis as a record has a lot harder an edge than 2020's Brain Pain . The hardcore elements were never really missing from the Four Year Strong formula, but on this record songs like "aftermath/afterthought" are actual moshable moments, complete with a full breakdown, a lot of intensity and a guitar pedal like a buzzsaw. A part of me wonders if a band like this needs to be put on an indie music blog. I know lately we've shied away from this, but there's talks behind the scenes to ...
Read more