PEARS
Pears


4.0
excellent

Review

by hesperus USER (31 Reviews)
March 15th, 2020 | 34 replies


Release Date: 2020 | Tracklist

Review Summary: PEARS’ eponymous third album is the closest yet the band has come to translating their magnificent live experience to the studio.

The first time I encountered PEARS was their live set at Wrecking Ball 2016, a now-defunct alternative music festival in Atlanta, and dear Lord, was that the perfect introduction to the band. PEARS put on a mesmerizingly spirited, high-octane performance. Lead vocalist Zach Quinn bounced and crawled around the stage (and occasionally the audience) like a feral goblin possessed by the very songs he performed. The band made a point of showcasing a sardonic sense of humor, whether by punctuating lyrics with a sarcastic pantomime or by opening their set with a recording of the goddamn Family Matters theme. In my mind, this live energy is the essence of PEARS--much more so than any of their recorded songs, which have been consistently good but fallen short of capturing the same experience.

PEARS, the band's eponymous third album, doesn't quite capture that experience either, but it comes surprisingly and satisfyingly close. The production strikes a brilliant balance between crisp guitars and acerbic vocals, resulting in a sound that’s equally suited to fantastically frenetic bursts of hardcore like "Sympathy Cone” and to anthemic choruses like the one in “Daughter.” Standout track “Comfortably Dumb” even manages to do both at once, beginning with an aggressive hardcore verse and then switching to a rollicking melodic chorus, and the transition happens seamlessly. PEARS is such a varied album that there's very little punk territory that it doesn't breach, from Dangers-esque hardcore to dirty pop punk a la PUP, but PEARS pull it all off with conviction and aplomb.

PEARS' sardonic bite is on full display, with Quinn declaring, "I am a king but I sleep in a twin" and spitting ironic interpolations of "Love Shack" and "Comfortably Numb." The best display of their wit is "Dial Up," which recontextualizes multiple shallow 90s pop one-hit wonders into a self-deprecating punk anthem. These moments are exactly the kind of fun that strikes at the essence of PEARS, but as much as the band is eager to indulge their mirthful side, they've also matured as songwriters. The vocal interplay on the chorus of "Killing Me" and the alt rock guitars on the bridge of "Rich to Rags" prove that they can even be emotionally affecting at times.

The definitive PEARS experience is still one of their magnificent live shows, and I have no doubt that the songs on PEARS will be an absolute blast in that environment. But for those who don't have the opportunity to witness PEARS in their element, PEARS is a wonderful substitute: manic, affective, and downright fun, like any PEARS experience should be.



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user ratings (69)
3.6
great


Comments:Add a Comment 
WatchItExplode
March 15th 2020


10516 Comments

Album Rating: 4.5

Sweet rev, this rips. It's also hilarious once you get into it.

Snake.
March 15th 2020


25376 Comments

Album Rating: 2.5

underrated fruit

Rawmeeth38
March 16th 2020


2790 Comments

Album Rating: 3.5 | Sound Off

Fun album right here. Love the old school punk/hardcore feel. Lyrics are great too lol.

Nice review!

Atari
Staff Reviewer
March 16th 2020


28009 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0 | Sound Off

cheers for covering this



that's a lot of PEARS in the closing paragraph tho, just happened to notice that..

Digging: Ceres - Magic Mountain (1996?2022)

hesperus
March 16th 2020


1465 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0

it’s kind of inevitable when you’re writing about an album called PEARS by a band called PEARS

Atari
Staff Reviewer
March 16th 2020


28009 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0 | Sound Off

lol, you make a fair point



I mean you could refer to it as their self-titled album too or their second LP or something though just so it doesn't read as awkwardly in the last paragraph



deathschool
March 16th 2020


28936 Comments


Love Green Star. Should chance this soon.

Dewinged
Staff Reviewer
March 17th 2020


32179 Comments


I skimmed this in the morning, not my cup of tea honestly.

Good write-up though Pears... sorry, I mean, hesp.

Digging: Kelly Lee Owens - Dreamstate

fromrows
March 17th 2020


463 Comments

Album Rating: 4.5

Great great album! I dig Green Star a tiny bit more as of now, but it might change

Digging: Bunuel - Mansuetude

nash1311
March 17th 2020


8640 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0

You put “Comfortably Numb” in the third paragraph. Should be “Dumb”.



Solid review and album

Digging: Fit for an Autopsy - The Nothing That Is

hesperus
March 17th 2020


1465 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0

nah, that was intentional. in that sentence, i was referring directly to the original Pink Floyd song, not the PEARS song that references it.

i appreciate the looking out tho!

nash1311
March 18th 2020


8640 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0

My b

Kompys2000
March 20th 2020


9483 Comments


Commenting so I remember to check this out, I remember enjoying Go to Prison when I heard it a while ago

Pangea
March 20th 2020


10740 Comments

Album Rating: 2.0

i really don't like the vocals on here

notagenius
March 28th 2020


1258 Comments

Album Rating: 4.5

a super-duper enjoyful spin, I don't think I'll ever stop liking punk music like this in my life.



notagenius
April 1st 2020


1258 Comments

Album Rating: 4.5

I bumped it to 4.5. impeccable

WatchItExplode
May 9th 2020


10516 Comments

Album Rating: 4.5

Still kills



Satellite
May 9th 2020


26539 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0

need to spin this. their last one was excellent.

SlothcoreSam
May 9th 2020


6416 Comments

Album Rating: 4.5

Spin away, it's so much fun

Digging: Floral Tattoo - The Circus Egotistica; or, How I Spent Most of my

Satellite
May 10th 2020


26539 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0

yeah, this rules.



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