Review: Melt the Honey by PACKS released via Fire Talk
PACKS’ new record doesn’t have a definitive beginning, the first track, “89 Days” feels, in a way, like track two. It’s a song making use of something we aren’t quite familiar with and utilizing it as if we are. Interestingly enough, the outro to the track feels like it should be the beginning of the entire project. This disjointed step into Melt the Honey feels like a statement within itself, almost as if this band is implying, they need no real introduction.
Just like its introduction, this record feels like a walk-through nature. One half of its intent is odd, nature-inspired prog-rock. The other half is not-quite-standout but certainly proficient indie rock. My issue comes when I’m pulled from the scenery to stare at a photograph of it. So much of the material here feels like I’m standing right outside of it and can’t feel it on my skin. There was a vision here, these musicians had the ability to realize it, but they got lost along the way. For example, the emotion on “Pearly Whites" doesn't feel real beyond its understanding of what it’s trying to convey.
A lot of these songs feel very meandering, they’re produced all over the place but they also all have the same throughline. “HFCS,” which is my favorite song here, feels ripped apart from one half of itself when it transitions into “AmyW.” They feel both like new ideas and a cut off holistic song all at the same time and neither of those answers to “what” it is even feel complete. My point is, this project doesn’t have any actual beginnings or ends, it all feels like good ideas never truly organized.
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