Review Summary: I know I can hurt me, I wish that you could hurt me
A lot of bands that love noise tend to get lost in their own chaos. They have no sense of melody or songwriting to make the impact more meaningful. A lot of young bands have that issue, experience lends a hand in shaping a sound that is uncompromising but also consequential. Perfect Pussy, with their first full length
Say Yes To Love, already seem to understand this, toeing that line between chaos and melody. Equal parts noise and punk, and fronted by a charismatic and unique voice in Meredith Graves, Perfect Pussy have quickly become a band to watch in a short period of time. Graves is a force; despite the fact that she is largely unintelligible throughout, her raw shrieks have a conviction to them. Even though you can’t make out what she is saying, you believe her every word. The band behind her has the same quality; there is precision and passion beneath the distortion. Underneath it all are guitar lines reminiscent on Japandroids, begging to breathe and rise above the noise. If anything, that is the biggest negative with
Say Yes To Love: everything is trying to fight to get to the forefront, and when one aspect is highlighted, it is for too short of a time.
Perfect Pussy are a very assured band. Their caustic brand of punk is highly enjoyable and just inventive enough to sound fresh. Graves has already been anointed by many as the star of the show, which is unfortunate because as much as she deserves praise, it shortchanges the efforts of the rest of the band. Guitarist Ray McAndrew, bassist Greg Ambler and drummer Garrett Koloski have created an undeniable atmosphere, one which is then distorted and given bite by keyboardist Shaun Sutkus. Perfect Pussy are more than just another trendy hype train; they are a passionate and confident group that have a firm hold on their strengths. One hopes that
Say Yes To Love is the beginning of a destructive and innovative career.
