The music of Porches straddles bedsit pop and indie-rock. The tunes Aaron Maine composes and performs retain both an intimacy and an immediacy that makes for a heady combination. The new record from Porches, All Day Gentle Hold!, drops on Domino today and it's one of this week's more engaging releases.
On this one, "Lately" and "Okay" seem to be the clear highlights, with the vocals anchoring these almost as much as the heady mix of peppy keyboard figures and percolating drum-kit stuff. Still, "I Miss That" succeeds nearly as much by slowing down the tempo and upping the drama. Aaron Maine sings everything here like a kid emoting for the first time on his own, even as he pursues idiosyncratic riffs and patterns of a real electro-pop pioneer. Things rarely seem too precious, though Porches' music is a bit of an acquired taste. Still, it's a short, energetic album, full of ideas and passion in equal measure and I sort of dug that.
All Day Gentle Hold! is out today via Domino.
[Photo: Clare Gillen]