Hailing from Brooklyn, New York, Pass Away has been playing their own brand of punk music since 2013. They began as a side project from members of I Am The Avalanche and Crime In Stereo. The trio of Mike Ireland (vocals/guitar), Johnny Nicholls (bass/vocals), and Eric Fairchild (drums/keys) makes up Pass Away. Their second album `Thirty Nine` was released last month.
The album opens with `Chic`s Beach` a stripped back composition with a strummed acoustic guitar, vocals and some enchanting vocal harmonies which really had me in mind of the sadly missed Elliot Smith. It seemed to me to be a brief introspective reflective self-analytical tale. We have a much more `in your face` offering with `Halloween` which fell delightfully between The Pixies and Hüsker Dü, a number written about staying true to yourself.
`Bartender`s Lament` is just over three minutes of melodic post punk heaven, a song that i`m sure would go down a storm at a gig with all the body slammers. There`s a cracking guitar riff which opens `Moss Bar` which is what vocalist/guitarist Mike named his front porch in New Orleans. It` has that gentle melodic quite anthemic vibe which I could imagine a live crowd all singing along to.
`Blue Drinks` according to the band “is about letting go of past bullshit and embracing the good times to come. The best revenge in life is to raise a drink with your best friends and laugh at the world.”. It`s a thumping quite belligerent post-punk workout. A song that will blow the cobwebs away. We have a further dreamy stripped back acoustic offering in `Bushwick`. A quick glace on the net leads me to discover that Bushwick is the most populous Hispanic-American community in Brooklyn which maybe where the title comes from.
`St. James` is another grinding, thumping, racing work out where the lyrics are rapidly shared almost in a scattergun approach. It may or may not refer to another New York district which was once a popular vacation spot for glitterati of the stage and screen. We have in `Oreo` a track named after an adopted black cat but the band say is “about knowing when to pump the brakes, chill out on the self-abuse and let the good stuff happen.” It`s a nicely melodic catchy mid paced tune.
`Coffin Hands` is an odd title but did seem to make some references to our mortality as this number with crashing guitar chords raced along its blistering journey. We close out with `Brooklyn Psychotherapy` which begins acoustically but evolves into something that flits between a scorching, pounding wall of controlled antagonistic noise with some questioning lyrical content and a more balanced reasonably melodic submission.
I have to say `Thirty Nine` was a wonderful introduction to Pass Away for me and will also lead me to investigating the bands from whom they formed. It clocks in at around the half hour mark so there should be no excuses not to give this release a whirl. There are some great scorching, blistering numbers but a few more considered and reflective offerings which balances it out in my opinion. I`m not sure of the significance of the title `Thirty Nine` but would urge you to allow these fellas some time in your lives. They won`t disappoint.
Rating 9/10
