Posted: by The Alt Editing Staff
Late into Pretty Rude’s debut record Ripe, bandleader James Palko watches his “life pan out in line at a Polish deli” before questioning “what the hell was all this for if you’re a quitter?” a song later. These two lines seem to get at the core of Ripe, a record mired in the question of how long you can stay on the path you’re on with your back against the wall and “another expedition run aground.” Even though that back-against-the-wall feeling is present on Ripe, it is certainly not a record that sounds like someone hitting the wall. Instead, Palko sounds revived in this more focused (though no less meticulously constructed) setting, grabbing the sword of Damocles looming over his head, finding that it’s actually an axe, and using that fucker to shred some sick solos.
Feeling almost like the drawing of a magic circle before summoning the forces of rock and roll, opening track “The Caller” introduces much of what will pop up throughout the rest of the record—gnarly guitars, rich layers of sound, one-eighty-turn bridges, and backup vocals that feel like Palko in contentious conversation with his own subconscious. It’s “Things I Do,” though, where Ripe really kicks into gear. The only track here that could reasonably be referred to as “Jimmy Montague, but grease it up and make it rock,” the song introduces the tambourine jangle that recurs throughout the record, as well as some lightly punchy keys and a slick call-and-response in the verses between the vocals and the bass line. It all leads up to a breakdown before a solo that’s impressive both technically and melodically, serving as a turning point for the song and a statement moment for the record as a whole.
The solo on “Things I Do” is matched one tune later on “Call Me, Ishmael,” a slightly slower song that shows Palko can shred at a more reserved tempo too. Here, he almost lets the backup vocals take the lead as the call of “(you got exactly what you asked for)” garners the responses “I didn’t ask to sign away my life” and “I must be out of my mind.” Lead single “Debbie & Lynn” manages to remain incessantly catchy while Palko and bandmate Matt Cook bring in some more unconventional instrumentation. Again, the riffs are gnarly and Pretty Rude detour around a standard middle eight with a spooky, psychedelic bridge built off the mantra of “no vacation.”
Starting with some fat guitar hits from acoustics and electrics over a steady tambourine and doo-wop backup vocals, “The Work” continues to embrace the unconventional instrumentation of “Debbie & Lynn,” although it feels more akin with “Call Me, Ishmael” with its pulled-back tempo and soaring guitar solo that pushes through the layered mix and asserts itself over the repetition of “you’re only as good as the next one.” The aforementioned “Polish Deli” is a high point on the second half of the record with the hook of “I don’t wanna sound dramatic / but I can’t leave this house again,” the addition of smooth piano licks in the second verse, and some more outstanding back-and-forth between Palko and the backup vocals provided by Sean Vigeant and Connor Vigeant.
Pretty Rude rose from the ashes of Perspective, a Lovely Hand to Hold and Taking Meds (and perhaps a desire from Palko to pivot from the huge, horn-drenched sound of Jimmy Montague), and that fact is most felt on Ripe album closer “No Moment,” with Palko switching from “waiting for a moment” to realizing “there’s no moment, no moment waiting for me.” It’s not an acceptance of defeat, though, with the breezy guitars sounding as light as they have all record and pointing to the freedom that comes in accepting that the moment isn’t out there waiting for you. If that’s the case, why not say fuck it, let’s rip some tunes?
Disappointing / Average / Good / Great / Phenomenal
Ripe is out everywhere today, with vinyl available through SideOneDummy Records.
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Aaron Eisenreich | @slobboyreject
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