Pearly* – Not So Sweet (Leather Jacket/Pinacolada)(13th Floor Album Review)
Otepoti/Dunedin band Pearly* have certainly made a splash since releasing their debut Pearly*EP in April 2024, and wowing crowds at nationwide festivals including Port Noise (March) and Junk Festival (June) both this year.
On the back of this word of mouth tastemaking and anticipation, the band Joel Field (guitar/vocals), Phaedra Love (bass/vocals), Ryan Hill (guitars) and Josh Nicholls (drums) worked with music legend and magician Nick Roughan to craft (and likely recraft) their debut album Not So Sweet, which saw release this month.
Previously I had heard the word, and seen the band at the aforementioned festivals, after Port Noise I was also picking them as a must see to friends and co, convinced there was still magic in Otepoti, despite the rise of Six60 and the retreat of the Dunedin Sound from prominence.
Comprising ten songs, Not So Sweet includes two advance singles, Superglue and the album title track Not So Sweet, two songs that show off the skills of the band’s dual song writers, song singers Joel Field and Phaedra Love. While Not So Sweet is the banger, alongside Superglue, the two perfectly embody the contrasts and cohabitation that fills the album, as it rollercoasters along. Of the others, I Wanna Be You is rollicking, displaying songwriting skills, a droll sense of sarcasm, and a musical beat that burns the dancefloor. Scream, Is pure post-punk-pop, succeeding where others fail. Meanwhile there is mirth at the falsetto pop lead into the album’s final song Alice Isn’t Dead, as it transforms into a grunge counterpose, showcasing Love’s winsome vocal harmonies.
Listening to the album is a delight, the diversity, tempo changes and vocal harmonies create a journey of reminiscent memories. Pearly* are obviously, so obviously the offspring of their Maunga/Whakapapa, The Dunedin Sound, Flying Nun, but more importantly they consciously (or unconsciously) reminisce those overseas bands (Pavement, R.E.M., and Cat Power) that themselves were influenced by Flying Nun’s early offerings. Not So Sweet by Pearly* has my vote for album of the year, a circle of life in fact.
Simon Coffey
Not So Sweet is out today on Leather Jacket/Pinacoloda Records
