The Pretty Graves are an underground art-rock and indie quartet based in Connecticut who release their self-titled debut album this month. They craft a potent mix of emotive energy, engaging lyricism, fuzzed-out guitars, and melodies that stay with the listener long after the song ends. The group is composed of Christopher M. Listorti (songwriting, vocals, guitars, synth/keys), Hollis Dunlap (lead guitar, back-up vocals), Glen Metcalfe (drums, percussion) and Mike Pace (bass, pedal steel, synth/keys).
`Bending Reeds` opens up proceedings and is a number that was inspired by a place not far from the band’s home base, a scenic stretch along the southeastern shore of Connecticut that used to be a landfill. A community crossroads of natural beauty perched atop a heap of waste in an area once discarded and allows a contrast where a beauty is found where perhaps it’s least expected. There`s a rhythmic pulse to the number with “ah ah ah” harmonies, some subtle guitar chord riffs and vocals that seem to be slightly separated but observant. A chugging guitar and cadenced drum beat lead us into and through `Do It Again` which feels fairly reflective and dreamy and has a brief click tone beat at the midpoint that feels like a metronome.
`Feels Good` is a real slow burn and I read that it`s a satirical take on modern life with nigh on ironic “whoo hoo” harmonies added in the latter half. There`s a real expansiveness to `Queen of Lies` which has a somewhat hopeful message and concludes with an band jam session in the final couple of minutes.
`Walkin’ is delightfully fuzzy and otherworldly with the sound almost mimicking the feel of ambulatory motion. There`s a similar vibe to `Each Breath` but it`s slightly heavier in sound with some cracking psychedelic tinges and becomes quite hypnotic as it evolves.
`Carry Me Away` had a kind of dynamic texture with frazzled guitar riffs, a song made for sharing loudly through an open window while driving along on a warm summers day. There`s a relatively psychedelic intro to `Up on a Hill` which for me had a similar feel to latter day Lou Reed with it`s nigh on spoken word lyricism and magnetic and absorbing ambience.
`Shadows` has a vast and sprawling sound and at times feels pretty cinematic and mesmerising. The final track `Nothing Passes Like The Time` is a bouncy upbeat rhythmic meditative tune to lead us out on and has some really subtle pedal steel tones.
The Pretty Graves self-titled album touches on themes of love, loss, and overcoming trauma, their underground indie art-rock comes from The Constitution State or Nutmeg State, that`s sandwiched between the States of Massachusetts and New York. It`s a cracking listen and will offer more each time you return to it. Another up and coming band emerging from Connecticut where acts such as MGMT, Goose and Hatebreed have carved a path before them.
Rating 9/10
