PINS - Girls Like Us

I approached this review with some fear. As a huge fan of PINS’ live sound I was concerned that the reverb drenched guitar noise that dominates many of the bands’ songs would not translate so well recorded; that discovering the hooks and melodies beneath the fuzz would demand too much effort on the part of the listener. At first I was not dissuaded from my initial concern. This is an uncompromising record with a production style to match. If like me you are a fan of a clean production sound then you’ll either fail to get to grips with ‘Girls Like Us’ or you’ll have to work hard to appreciate it. 

The Manchester based all-girl four piece have a sound reminiscent of a 1970’s Detroit garage rock band. Think The Stooges, Patti Smith or Vivian Girls and you’re not far off. 

There’s some great songs packed into 35 minutes. The title track is a perfect example of what you can expect from the album as a whole - a thumping drum and bass usher in a howling chorus accompanied by frenetic guitar. ‘Lost Lost Lost’ sounds a little like early Joy Division with a Banshees-esque vocal (and in doing so draws comparisons to peers Savages). A little light relief is found in ‘Velvet Morning’ with its psychedelic opening and spoken-word vocal. It’s the track that least epitomizes the record as a whole but it’s provides a necessary and welcome pause to the aural assault that begins again in earnest on ‘Stay True’ which is the musical equivalent of being trapped in a house blaze. 

The album was recorded and mixed in a week. You can hear the urgency in every note. The music may be somewhat derivative (what isn’t?) but it sounds completely authentic. 

So after several weeks and many listens I am pleased to say that I like the album almost as much as I love PINS’ live performances. Thankfully I won’t have long to wait to see the band again as they play Cluny, Newcastle on 11th October. The album is released on Bella Union on 30th September. Buy it then catch them live.

Words: Russell Poad