Pintandwefall, Roy Peter Mike and Ken, Baby EP [GAEA Records]
Reviewed by: Cooper Foyt
Pintandwefall are a garage rocking four piece from Helsinki with a flair for the quirky on their latest EP. Blending a healthy mix of jangly guitar rock, midi beats, and 1960 throwback, Roy Peter Mike and Ken, Baby is one of the most immediately pleasing albums to come out this year.
Lyrics are typically goofy across the seven songs on the EP. Drawing inspiration from posting photos online, hanging out with cats at home, panic attacks, and mom’s baking, lead singer Dumb Pint (they all have Spice Girl-esque stage names) handles most of the vocal duties. She shares the wide eyed wonder sound of Deerhoof’s Satomi Matsuzaki. Songs can be as optimistic as the chorus to “Second Hand Thoughts” where Dumb almost cheers out “It is the perfect day / nothing but ice cream / strawberries and whipped cream!” accompanied by samples of cats meowing. It’s an explosion of happiness that will make you smile and bob your head to the bouncing guitar.
Of course there is the assaulting “Panic Disorder” that will effectively cancel out all the good vibes. Layered vocals repeat the song’s title and a laundry list of paralyzing fears amongst complete silence. It’s rather unnerving before a whimsical synth enters and makes the idea of having a panic attack with someone seem downright romantic and pleasant.
My personal favorite is the cat ballad “Kinski & Ismo” which sounds a bit like a more articulate version of Micachu & the Shapes. Brandishing a rollicking bass, beatnik percussion and an out of tune uke, the song perfectly captures the oddball behavior cats in a way that makes me (and the singer) ready to embrace the lifestyle of crazed cat owner.
Appropriately the album ends with “Watsaka”, the most garage rock song on the EP, which is important since that’s what they’re described as being. Fuzzed out bass, murky call and response sections, and a high energy cowbell all add a bit of pizzazz to something that could have been by the numbers if handled by less interesting hands. It’s an end to an impressive and infinitely replayable EP that is hopefully a sign of things to come from the Finnish pints.
The EP is free to download from their website found here
Rating: 85%