Montreal’s Private Lives are heading out on a European tour, which feels like the perfect excuse to drop a 7″ on one of Europe’s finest labels, Bachelor Records. If you are going to cross the ocean, you might as well have fresh boxes of vinyl waiting for your arrival.
The sonic direction leans into the punkier side of the band. The A-side, Think I’m Coming Around, is about as close as Private Lives have come to matching the sharp snap of singer Jackie Blenkarn’s other band, Pale Lips. It is urgent, hooky, and delivered with that slightly unhinged cool she does so well.
B-side Television Faces is no throwaway. It leans into the rockin’ edge and overall garage vibe of Private Lives. Together, the two tracks make a strong case for the humble single as a format that still matters.
Yes, the market for 7-inches is tough right now, for labels and fans. But as long as records like this keep landing, talk of extinction feels wildly premature.