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Will Rutledge began what would become Pupppy back in 2013 as a solo project, but two years and the addition of three other band mates later, Rutledge has fully fleshed out his sound into Shit In The Apple Pie, the debut album for the band. This first release is nine songs of slacker pop whose witty lyrics and acoustic rock that are bound to delight you with their sincerity and potential for all out rock and roll.
The sound that you’ll find on this debut release is the kind that makes you want to sit down and do nothing but listen to the music. As I listen to this record, I’m immediately reminded vaguely of Modest Mouse, and Ben Kweller, but moving forward through the songs it’s so clear that Pupppy moves beyond these likenesses and into their own space of glazed down indie pop. While the first two songs are excellent tunes, on my first pass through, the first track that really grabbed my attention was the lovely, self-deprecating “Shithead.” This song is a wonderfully quiet track that gives you the whole picture from the beginning and never once apologizes for its gently churning pace, just like Rutledge’s lyrics are unabashedly honest, “If you want something else go and find it yourself/ you see I just can’t help myself.” While these lyrics are frank, the music matches this song perfectly, an unassuming yet intriguing combination of acoustic and guitar riffs, what sounds like a bit of banjo and simplistic percussion; you’ll want to linger on this song for a great deal of time, but continue on as this isn’t all that Pupppy has to offer you.
Immediately after this song, you get the mild violence that accompanies the quiet numbers on this debut release. “Outkast,” utilizes stop and go at its beginning, Rutledge’s vocals making the whole track sound a bit post-punk/emo, their nascent quality oozing with emotion. While this song is fast-paced and rock and roll at that, you still get imagery-laden lyrics that twist the narrative of nights out. Juxtaposed with songs like this are the quiet and stripped, like closer “Sundress,” that is tender and easy both in lyrics and sound, rounding out the album on a wistful note.
Not only does the band do slow and tempered well, but they also exceed in the realm of spiraling out of control via their slacker pop/rock. For a debut album, Shit in The Apple Pie is fairly impressive: all nine songs are audibly well-crafted, leaving you with thirty minutes of concise pop music. Look out for Pupppy.
The last time we heard from Never Young, we were blasting their self-titled EP, and it looks like they’re going to be rocking just as hard now that they’ve announced the limited cassette, NY Singles. I suppose it’s a shitty adjective to use, but from the get-go, this band seems like they’re barely containing themselves, barely holding it together. But, that being said, in this single they do hold it together, they do pull it all in and leave you wanting to hear more. It’s just one of three unreleased songs on this new effort, which comes at you on October 16th via Father Daughter Records.
