San Francisco indie slacker rockers Pardoner return with the latest installment of their already impressive discography. I loved their 2021 LP Came Down Different and my early impression is that their new LP Peace Loving People minimally is at the same level. Four full length records in, Pardoner have found a sound that fits them perfectly. It is a sound where guitars and melody go hand in hand to create playful and vibrant slacker rocker anthems. Full of lyrical wit, Pardoner show a knack for poignant observations and truth bombs that often make me chuckle. Like the casually talk sung “Nice belief system man. Did your mommy make it for you?” thrown in the face of an unnamed antagonists in Get Inside!, arguably the closest Pardoner comes to being ’90s alternative revivalists – a certain iconic song comes to mind. The song and lyrics are one of the many reasons to fall for Pardoner who play around with different styles as well on Peace Loving People, like Brit pop and post punk. Again, Pardoner show they can make a varied record that still sounds coherent. But most important, few current indie rock bands sound (like they are having) this much fun.
Peace Loving People is out now on Bar/None Records.
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