This is fine.
Weve got a little show photo coverage action of another night that is part of the manic schedule right now. Good Morning is touring the US after the pandemic prevented travel in support BARNYARD that was released on October of 2021. The record has chill vibes and a few hits. In support, we also saw Packs, bringing back the dream of the 90s.
Click on through for a few thoughts and plenty of pics…
This Friday we’ll be treated to the much anticipated debut album from PACKS, but before we get there, we should just indulge ourselves in one last little grungy ditty; I mean you can never really get enough of this lot if you ask me. They crank the song out in under 2 minutes, so they get right to it, with Madeline teasing the listener along over a mild guitar before the rest of the band drops in, and things get turned up into a classic pop rocker. I think one of the things I love about this band is how quickly they go from rock to really subtle pop nuances, even if they last for a mere three seconds, like Madline’s annunciation of “hand” at the 1:17 mark. Just good old clean fun. Take the Cake is out Friday via Fire Talk Records.
Yo. We forgot last week. Sorry. Please forgive us. Here’s a great way to start off your Monday with a playlist of last week’s hits. We added a few from some of the records we were jamming like Mope City and Phantom Handshakes…not to mention a hit from the great album ATH Records just dropped from Space Tan! Just a nice easy hour of listening to get you in through the morning Monday blues. So yeah, no need for more…just jam to some hits.
I’ve been really high on the new Packs tunes; I love how Madeline Link seems to escape the trappings of super formulaic pop rock…at least in my mind, she’s not hitting the highlights like I’ve heard others do. For one, the guitar work here almost seems in demo form, the mix keeps it grounded, leaving listeners with the perfect slice of a pseudo-grunge riff; I can easily here the wrong person trying to blow up the volume there, but its softer side allows for Link’s voice to hold the whole of the song without much interference. Speaking of that voice, how are you not mesmerized by it? Has the perfect pitch and tone; I’m super stuck on it. Take the Cake will drop on May 21st via Fire Talk.
Let’s be clear, I’m a huge fan of this PACKS video; I love joyous moments, whether they’re performed or not, so just the sheer amount of smiling and laughter here is more than welcome. As for the song, it definitely feels close to the likes of Cherry Glazer, flirting with sort of garage rock sensibility but presented in a slightly new fashion, tugging on dreamier notes. The plodding drum feels super heavy, like you’re stomping in quicksand, but that muddiness works well with Madeline Link’s soaring pipes, curling her pop sensibility around each note. The Toronto band releases Take the Cake on May 21st via Royal Mountain/Fire Talk.
For many of us, “Silvertongue” is our first listen to PACKS, and what a way to start things off! It’s 3 minutes of fuzzy riffs and cooled vocals that announce the band as an act we should all have on our radar this year. Personally, I love the space the song gives to the guitar work, letting it ring out in various spots to keep the edge of the song there as singer Madeline Links lets her voice fade atop those riffs; it just gives the song more of a distinct feel, like it’s not being dialed in with a formula. My two cents anyways. Plus, better news is Take the Cake, the debut LP, will be out on May 21st via Fire Talk/Royal Mountain.
One of the hottest labels last year, at least in consistency was Fire Talk Records, and they’re back this year with a new LP from PACKS on the horizon. The first single from the Toronto outfit is a fairly stripped down affair, at least in the front of the mix. Songwriter Madeline Link spent much of last year holed up and penning tracks, many about the loss of freedoms so many of us face during this on-going pandemic; that informs the attitude with this quieted intimacy, though the arrangements behind her add buoyancy to the song, filling out the space behind her voice with these distorted textures. We’ll have more on the new LP when the time comes!
