Review Summary: Much of the vitality in a friendship lies in the honoring of differences, not simply in the enjoyment of similarities.
Mixing opposing genres is always a difficult task for the composer. More often than not, they can succeed by finding the common threads between these opposing styles and using them as the focal point for the album. It’s pretty simple on paper, and even if many artists falter and can't find reasonable similarities, it’s often a sure-fire way to create something solid. PINKSHINYULTRABLAST do things a little bit differently though. Rather than finding these common points, they choose to take the more dangerous path, bending genres and pushing boundaries until it makes sense. This is an especially brave move for a band whose first EP relied on homogeneity, and while clunky transitions mar the album in places, this new approach to songwriting yields a far more endearing and satisfying product.
Diving into this album, you’ll find stacks of diverging influences. Sugary melodies, ethereal vocals, grandiose song structures, driving hooks, sterile electronics and emotional washes of white noise all enter the mix at one time or another, somehow finding a way to peacefully coexist. It might sound a bit ham-fisted, but it ends up giving the musicians significantly more breathing room. Rather than limiting themselves to the specific points shared by all these opposing forces, they utilize the full width and breadth of each style, appreciating the specifics of what separates them and broadening the album’s scope in the process. This is most notable in the opener and highlight ‘Wish We Were’. There’s an electronic haze and a slow ethereal build designed to prepare the listener, and after 4 minutes of preparation, you’re still not ready for what comes. All at once, the song explodes as the sweet vocals hit at the same time as the most abrasive guitar lines and drum clashes. It should be jarring and painful, but instead the two crash together and find themselves in perfect equilibrium, weaving an almost bittersweet atmosphere that adds a whole new dimension to the track. While each individual part would have been overpowering, here they temper each other’s extremes, grounding the record and making sure it never becomes so euphoric it loses track of itself.
This restlessness and constant shifting of gears is exactly what PINKSHINYULTRABLAST needed to make a consistently engaging piece of music for the longer LP format. Every time the band feels like they’ve found their groove, they shake things up and double down on intensity. However, this is where the album becomes a little weighed down. Even with all these different sounds flying through the speakers, by the end of the album, it becomes
predictable. Every time you feel a song settle in a bit too comfortably, you brace yourself for the impact, and almost every time, the song will deliver that punch. However, eschewing the standard so much that the listener comes to expect the unexpected isn’t necessarily a bad thing, and
Everything Else Matters remains refreshing with its clashing colours and barely contained positivity. It’s an escapist’s wet dream, where every inch of the runtime is crammed full of exciting ideas that threaten to sweep you off your feet while remaining interpretive with the deliberately indecipherable lyrics. It’s rare to find such a fun album that can involve the listener so much, but that may be this album’s greatest asset - it’s just so damn easy to love.
