This album is a relationship.
In some ways, Crawling Up The Stairs is a relationship in the way you'd expect. With song titles such as Things in my Head and Someone Else, it will come as no surprise to hear that lead vocalist Nate Grace is not afraid to simply put it out there in his lyrics, say it how it is. Singing "Take my hand, walk into the sun" on the former and growling "Make me feel something, baby, I don't give a fuck" on the latter, there certainly aren't any complex metaphors, sophisticated similes and other such figures of speech your old A-Level teacher used to get his/her kicks out of. Whether that's a good thing or not is open to interpretation.
The aforementioned lyrics do more than just provoke a discussion about complexity, as well as the lack of, in simplicity, though; they also give an indication of the undecided musical tone. Whilst Shadows and Lies' "What the Hell is real anymore?" line is fairly representative of the lyrical theme consistent throughout the album (who wanted to listen about a relationship going well, anyway?), this is by no means to say it is all doom and gloom. The chiming guitars of Things in My Head, for example, sound as if they're composed of the 60s vibes that made the 70s the decade it was, but the delightfully titled Written in the Slime provides a far more accurate portrayal of the LP, and in more ways than one. Robotic-like vocal effects, Jesse Jenkins' bass cooly bumbling on in the background, general eeriness are features that the album predominantly consists of. The issue is that this kind of sound can only be used so much. Rinse it for all its worth in the manner Pure X does and it is only a matter of time before it grows tired.
Unfortunately the temperamental, haphazard quality that so often dominates relationships does the same with this new LP from the Austin trio. This isn’t to say there aren’t moments of brilliance. The almost surf pop sounds of Thousand Year Old Child gives a glimpse of what wholehearted goodness Pure X can produce when in the mood. Grace hitting the high notes so competently one song (opener Crawling Up The Stairs) and snarling with such emotion quite literally the next (Someone Else) shows a versatility only the most talented of musicians have in their armory. But just as a versatility of quality and stability can be the downfall of a relationship, so too is this the case with Pure X’s Crawling Up The Stairs. A real shame as the creativity, the innovation, the technical standard is there, but it’s still the all too often bad moments you’ll remember.
This album is a relationship.
2/5
Released: 12th May 2013 (Merok Records)
