Rapidfire Reviews: Overgrow, Peregrine, Glacier Veins
Posted: by The Editor
Overgrow has quietly released a stream of exceedingly pleasant, autumn-ready singles over the past year or so; like the project’s previous work, they fall somewhere in the space between post-rock, indie rock, and emo, calling to mind perhaps a more radio-ready and vocal-centric take on the livelier songs off Moving Mountains’ self-titled LP.
Walls of Mirrors is a fitting addition to the band’s strong catalog. If there’s a criticism to be made of Walls of Mirrors, and by extension Overgrow, it’s that much of the music carries a similar feeling, has a similar sound. At less than 40 minutes, this isn’t a major drawback for Walls of Mirrors, particularly as Overgrow is more than adept with that sound. It helps that the record ends powerfully, with the acerbic “Spit” leading into the rise-and-fall title track, a song that readily breaks from the formula of the rest of the record for a climactic conclusion.
Disappointing / Average / Good / Great/ Phenomenal
Peregrine’s debut, 2019’s As One Would Exist Within the Crescendo, was a hidden gem, a potent blend of emo, post-hardcore, indie rock, and progressive rock that never hewed too closely to any one style, instead crafting an impressive and cohesive full experience. Their latest, The Awful Things We’ve Done, is in just about every way a step up from its predecessor, a perfect encapsulation of the band’s growth over the past three years.
The first thing that becomes clear on The Awful Things We’ve Done is that Peregrine is doubling down on the post-hardcore influences. Opener “A Polite Merlot” is chaotic and abrasive, with a spoken word bridge straight out of something off Wildlife to boot. Much of the record follows in that vein, without every succumbing to the melodrama that plagues so many albums in this style. Interestingly, single and side-b opener “Sagittarius A” is the star of the show here, one of the record’s least aggressive moments. The track is noteworthy not (just) for Hotelier vocalist Christian Holden’s guest spot in the bridge, but for its seamless mix of placid acoustic instrumentation and a soaring, cathartic, scream-along hook.
Disappointing / Average / Good / Great/ Phenomenal
When Glacier Veins first released the breakneck “Cover Me” last year, it wasn’t clear that it was going to be the first taste of Lunar Reflection. In retrospect, it’s an interesting choice – the song is rather more driving, more rock than much of the rest of the Portland four-piece’s sophomore LP. The World You Want to See dressed up their alt rock with some dreampop frills, but here they commit to the sound a bit more.
It makes for an ultimately more satisfying record, too; any number of bands are playing poppy alternative music with some reverb and some pedals, but the way Glacier Veins particularly melds the two feels far more interesting. Also unusual for the genre is the way things really pick up in the second half; the back to back of the jangly “Here & There” and “Nurture” isn’t just a highlight on Lunar Reflection – it’s a highlight for the band’s career.
Disappointing / Average / Good / Great/ Phenomenal
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Zac Djamoos / @gr8whitebison
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