ALBUM REVIEW: Come Closer – Pretty Garbage (Pirates Press Records)
J. Wang is Jimmy Elmore, who some may know from DIY American punk bands Dan Padilla, Altaira and Tiltwheel.
Although 2020 brought many musicians to a standstill, Wang stayed busy writing and recording his debut LP as Come Closer.
DIY spirit
Embodying the DIY spirit, he made it in the back room of his San Diego home, with help from Chris Prescott (Pinback, No Knife, Rocket From The Crypt) and Davey Quinn (Tiltwheel, Dan Padilla).
Wang says Come Closer are “much different than anything I’ve done before”, combining rock ‘n roll mentality with indie-rock sensibility.
Pretty Garbage shows Wang’s knack of creating hook-laden lo-fi tunes which recall bands like The Replacements and The Lemonheads.
Probably due to the times in which they were crafted, a lot of the songs are self-reflective, drenched in ennui. They examine in self-critical detail where life hasn’t quite lived up to expectations.
Opener Get It Wrong, for instance, warns “No life rings and we’re slowly sinking/While they’re wasting all our time”; while Mayday looks at mental health.
The Americana-tinged Arms Up and Photographs are nostalgia-steeped songs for a loved one; Bad Skin, one of the standouts, is another love song, despite its title.
Set around a delicious riff, it dreams of that sunny place “where you would stare all day at my ugly fucking face”, concluding: “And I want you to be/Still standing right here/And holding my hand.”
Never Say Goodnight ups the pace and is a bit more muscular, recalling bands like Dinosaur Jr, while Just The Way You Are seems to address choosing the wrong path and suffering the consequences.
Despite its upbeat feel, High Life, released as a picture flexi promo single, is about losing a friend who was fond of life’s excesses.
The Last Time, with double-tracked vocals and nifty guitar work, is another highlight, while the closing Rings brings things to a defiant conclusion, Wang insisting: “Don’t you ever surrender!”
Play on repeat
I wouldn’t describe Come Closer’s music as punk rock, more like slacker indie, but it’s a record which will slowly seep into your soul, making you want to play it over and over again. 7/10.
