About three tracks in, Pearls’ third studio album, Pretend You’re Mine, shatters the expectations drawn by its goofy but quaint album cover by throwing out a mind-blowing assortment of stunning riff-work, tone and songwriting. Every track either stands out as a dream-pop wonderland with just the right amount of fadey echo effects, submerging listeners in an atmospheric soundscape, or a snappy, ‘clap your hands’ beat – all maintaining a faster pace than a shoegaze track while often keeping the genre’s attributed distance. Imagine the finesse, talent and memorable hooks of David Bowie’s backing musicians combined with a particular usage of glam-pop organ keys and a boy-to-girl vocal swap that creates a loosely related but not dissimilar feel to My Bloody Valentine – this is what Pretend You’re Mine does well.
On the other side of the coin, the vocals have the unfortunate characteristic of being damagingly familiar. Many of the melodies are unshakably close to an assortment of old pop songs, and the particular tone of singing employed on the male-fronted tracks blurs the line between the band and Arcade Fire. Some parts of the album feel more like trying to play pop music trivia at the local pub instead of being truly unique, and this comes as a cop-out to the rest of the album’s brilliance.
After all’s said and done, the ethereal sonic depth of Straight Through The Heart and bittersweet pop hooks in the title track Pretend You’re Mine make this album well worth the listen.
BY THOMAS BRAND
