Article by Matt Stinn, photos courtesy of Pop Pop Vernac
Regina post-punk quartet Pop Pop Vernac are back with the release of a long awaited full length record entitled A Cold Beer and a Couple of Grapes after previously releasing a slew of EP’s and I'm eager to dive in and share my observations as I go.
Immediately kickin’ in with an intro track entitled “Barely”, this album sets off on a strange off kilter mood that invokes the feeling of late sixties off-brand rock meets the score of A24’s Hereditary. This theatrical track swells and grows with a literal cacophony of percussion until falling away to the album’s true first song “Until Morning”.
Starting off with the sound of a car door’s alarm, the band cleverly fits this into the track's back beat with some polyrhythmic gymnastics. All in all, this track is very reminiscent of an early release from Modest Mouse and feels like a great way to get things driving.
“Standards Are Too Slow” feels more like what I know Pop Pop Vernac for - off kilter post rock. Driving, crunchy, energetic and bouncy. I can imagine this track landing super well in a DIY show space where the band is sweating up a storm while shouting the lyrics “everything is cool” into their mics in a tongue in cheek fashion.
Not shying away from strange changes, “Pruitt-Igoe Implosions” heads straight back to the late sixties inspired rock with wide slap delay on the vocals and a sense of anthemic importance all underscored by a simple supportive guitar line. This track eventually comes to a close on an almost meditative melodic figure that slowly builds into a fuzzed out climax.
Cutting straight into “Alice” - the listener is once again treated to a more “standard” rock track that features hard driving guitars, tight drumming and a sense of playfulness that hasn't shown its face on the album up until now. While the previous tracks were enjoyable, the energetic injection provided by “Alice” is very welcomed as a fifth track.
Following suit with “Alice”, “Everything Means Everything” keeps the energy high while providing a highly singable chorus. The feature moment of the track is a shout-along bridge line that immediately cuts into a ripping guitar solo. Clocking in under three minutes, this track seems like a no-brainer for live shows!
“Metamorphosize” features heavily distorted vocals and keys taking what could be a traditionally intimate moment and turning it into a grandiose moment of lyrical pontification. “I'm just a little worm, could you watch me squirm. I’m just a little worm could you wash me off” resonates with a sense of importance and evokes a sense of striving for more. This song’s lyrical and musical sensibilities instantly made me think of Why?.
Following the now established theme of ping ponging back and forth between garage rock and art rock songs, the album takes an immediate hard turn into the track “Working and Working Out”. Between the fuzzed out guitars, distorted vocal production and shouting performance, this song immediately feels the most “punk” on the whole record. Including an ‘ooh’ backing vocal part reminiscent of The Pixies, this track wastes no time pretending it's something it's not.
Next up, “Lawn Mower of Doom” immediately makes me feel like I'm listening to an outtake from a late Beatles record. It has all the hallmarks of a late sixties pop song minus the sense of joy and bewilderment. This song has an underlying unsettling tone and functions as a disrupter between its neighboring tracks on this album.
As if nothing strange had just happened, “Self Defeating Prophecies” drops into a groovy rock track that plays with odd time, syncopated rhythms and makes a point of showing off the musicianship of Pop Pop Vernac’s members. The standout part of this track to me is a countermelody found at the 1:25 mark of the song that sounds like it would be completely at home on Andy Shauf’s The Party.
“Beef” starts weird. Just plain weird. A bare vocal mimics the fuzzed guitar that immediately follows it before dropping into a rock and roll onslaught. This track's stop and start punk rhythm immediately evokes the patterns made popular by The Dead Kennedys.
“Went on a Date” again plays with syncopation and late sixties sensibilities. Doo wop backing vocals, and lyrics that mimic the feigned innocence of that era sing, passages like; “Guys I went on a date. Dude that's great” and “did it go well? As far as I can tell”. Accented by wind chimes and numerous percussive flourishes, this track is very obviously a joke on classic love songs and seems to pay homage to acts like Flight of the Conchords.
All in, A Cold Beer and a Couple of Grapes is an interesting listen. I hear a band looking to expand their reach and expression artistically while trying to find what’s true to them. While I preferred the more rock-oriented track on this release, “Metomorphosize” stood out to me as a very special track which will definitely be making its way into my personal playlists.
“A Cold Beer and a Couples Grapes” is available now on all platforms.
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