The new album from the Salem-based artist, postrich bear, is a wild ride of garage-rock-inspired guitar music. It is loud, passionate, full of emotion, and a joy to find yourself swimming in it’s waters.
postrich bear is a prolific project, with six full-length records and one EP to their name since beginning in 2017. Albums, ‘Memento Mori’ and, ‘Just Happy to Be Here’ saw a focus on a certain kind of ambience, with the heart of the songs being as important as the lovely atmospheres created alongside. alaiasipoyaly is altogether a more raucous affair. ‘Reason’ is great fun. Immediately you are thrown into postrich bear’s world of summery riffs, foot-tapping rhythms, and classic-emo-tinged vocals: think of the vocal stylings of Japanese Breakfast, and Xiu Xiu’s unapologetic expressiveness on, A Promise; you have yourself postrich bear. ‘Moonlight’ is heavier, with distortion taking centre stage. ‘Clouds’, a personal highlight, is simpler. It showcases postrich bear’s knack for crafting melody; and to top it off, there is even a horn section that makes a brief appearance. There is a timelessness to these songs, that through instrumentation, postrich bear has managed to pluck out of thin air and record them as if they were there all along.
‘BB’, another highlight, sees the artist dip his toes into shoegaze. It is a brief encounter, yet it makes alaiasipoyaly all the more brilliant. The wonderfully titled, ‘How Does One Bake A Pancake’, feels like an ode to emo, at times bearing a resemblance to Paramore’s 2005 classic, ‘Conspiracy’. Perhaps an obvious comparison, but it stands true; postrich bear clearly knows how to integrate inspiration and influence into his own work, the sign of a smart and passionate artist.
As the album comes to a close, you feel as if you are slowly coming out of a life you never knew you entered. Emotionally, the record is totally immersive, something that can often be difficult to capture. alaiasipoyaly is truly a great album, one that I think any lover of guitar music would be able to appreciate. Give it a go, and lose yourself in postrich bear’s world.
Written by Callum Foulds