Humans are supposed to be creatures that thrive on change. We’re expected to evolve year after year both physically and more importantly mentally. Yet another reason I think I’m an outsider. I have a very strict TV schedule, a perfect daily routine and I eat peanut butter and jelly every day for lunch. So when Pentimento’s self-titled fell into my lap(top), I was confused. No longer were they this abrasive rock outlet from Buffalo, NY that I’d come to love. They had taken an evolutionary step in their sound to showcase a softer side of what they could do…Should’ve expected this when they covered Dashboard Confessional on their Split with Young English. While this self-titled isn’t what I had expected, it was only a matter of time before Pentimento did something new.
A little too new were songs like “Conscience (Consequence)” and “Days Away.” Neither of them did anything for me musically or emotionally. Good news though, there were a few that got a stamp of approval. “Circles” which we’ll come back to, the acoustic delight “The Bridge” and a tale of growing up, “No One Lets You Know.”
A common theme found in Pentimento is coincidentally the idea of change. “Circles” has a line “I thought I knew you,” which shows a conflict between the person behind the song and someone in their life who ended up being someone they didn’t expect. The plot thickens later with “The Wind,” which proclaims “I never gave up on you.” So there’s this back and forth of emotions if these songs are about the same person.
Pentimento’s “Almost Atlantic” best sums up my personal thoughts about Pentimento; it’s as if someone took a nail file to what they were and got rid of the edge. This record plays a lot softer than their previous releases, so if you’re looking for that abrupt, raw sound, it’s not here. What you do have is a band taking a chance and growing up through their musical expression. I mean you can’t fully mask Jeramiah Pauly’s vocal style, so that’s still present, just not as angry this time around. Fans of Seahaven and Daytrader will want to check out Pentimento’s new self-titled album, out November 13th.
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