ALBUM REVIEW: The Pine Boys go Squiddely Doop Dop on “Gleam”
You might even forget you are listening to a song from 2024 and think you have stepped back in time, listening to a woeful Steely Dan record, with some Cuervo Gold and fine columbian.
“I am the almanac; I am the prophet.”
This is the phrase that begins “Farmer Boy”, the first track off The Pine Boys’ new EP, and ninth studio project, Gleam. It is unclear just how much you are supposed to read into the lyrics. Are they silly rhymes, or are they subversive and deep lyrics with meaning that will only be correctly interpreted by the most scholarly among us?
That remains to be seen, but it really feels as if it is leaning hard towards the latter.
The way the keys work with the guitar and bass is what really stands out on “Farmer Boy”. The last half of the song feels like the instruments are a few friends having an energetic conversation. First, the guitar starts in with the bass in steady agreeance behind it. Then, the keys come in with their opinion, and the bass is just carefully listening to what his friends speak of. It’s really brilliant.
“Drain Snake” continues this journey, but instead of lyrics open to interpretation, this one tells a cautionary tale about how one should always use care when finding a snake in the drain.
The real stand out track on the EP is “Squiddely Doop Dop.” Again, it is hard to determine the cohesion of the lyrics here, but the groove, fueled by the smoothest keyboard work on the EP, is undeniable.
“Luggage” is driven by light, jazzy keys and a bass line that sounds like the foundation of a yacht-rock classic. The lyrics really stand out as being, for lack of a better word, “mature”. You can feel the sorrow or regret come through, and the theme of someone leaving, makes this the heaviest track, emotionally. By the time the guitar and keys go into their respective solos, you might even forget you are listening to a song from 2024 and think you have stepped back in time, listening to a woeful Steely Dan record, with some Cuervo Gold and fine columbian.
Gleam Album Cover
Then there’s the first few notes to “Sock Feet”, which could be looped and used as a recurring theme in a horror movie. Just the few key hits, with the delay effect and the sound of electricity is enough to create a spooky atmosphere. By the time you realize that the electricity sound is related to the static charge of “sock feet”, the spooky feeling is gone and the groove has taken over.
To wrap up the EP, the band closes with a sequel. “Fang, Pt.2” is the conclusion to their lost dog saga that began on the song “Fang” from their 2019’s My Bad. This sequel takes the original and makes it bigger, better and crazier. I will not give away the surprise, but the story of Fang concludes in an epic fashion.
Gleam is a great listen from beginning to end, and another wonderful addition to The Pine Boys’ already impressive catalog.
The Pine Boys are Andrew Cerone on Vocals/Guitar, Brett Maney on Bass, and Sam Lasky on keyboards. Gleam was produced by Alec Lewis and can be streamed/downloaded at https://thepineboys.bandcamp.com/album/gleam.