The lo-fi music of PACKS is full of ideas. The DIY aspect of this is not a hindrance, but a help to Madeline Link and her ability to get so many hooks wrapped into this stuff. Take the Cake, out now via Royal Moutain Records and Fire Talk, sounds like most of the things I love on the PNKSLM label, and it sounds like Nineties stuff too.
"Divine Giggling" slinks in on a bedsit indie vibe, while the lovely "Clingfilm" has a bit more bite. This one, like many things here, sounds a bit like R. Ring to me. If Link is not attacking the melodies the way Kelley Deal did her's, at least she's filling what's here with charm. "My Dream" is fairly mellow and understated, but the rough "Holy Water" and crunchy "New TV" are even better. These are short, precise cuts, like early Guided by Voices mixed up with Veruca Salt stuff before any of those acts were better known. The chords and riffs ooze out with primitive force all throughout Take The Cake, and nothing's wasted on this short, delightful record.
Take the Cake is out now via Royal Moutain Records and Fire Talk.
More details on PACKS via the Facebook page.
[Photo: Calm Elliot-Armstrong]