The LA rock group, “together PANGEA,” has been in the music industry since 2008. The band is notable for its rough vocals, dirty guitar tones, and unpolished recordings. However, in the past nine years, the band’s sound has changed dramatically. Released on Friday, August 25th, “Bulls and Roosters” delivers a more developed, balanced, and polished sounding record that will hopefully drive the band into more commercial success.
The lead vocals echo a “Cage the Elephant” style of singing with a healthy touch of west coast influence. The lyrics are truthful, often bursting with energy and reflecting on life’s many pleasures and discomforts. Much of the album’s lyrical content is based upon the front man, William Keegan, and his rocky relationship history. Keegan delivers his lyrics with a genuine and relatable tone. His lyrics are honest and emotional, but also poke fun at common problems in most love relationships.
The band’s instrumental section is exciting. The guitar licks are tasteful, the bass lines are punchy, and the drums are crisp and powerful. The guitar tone is unique and hard to compare to any other artist at the moment, which is refreshing in today’s monotonous indie-guitar-sounding scene. The band’s bass player, Danny Bengston, knows when to hit straight eighth notes to keep it punk, and when to throw in an exciting fill or lick. Bengston’s disciplined playing style could be compared to that of Nikolai Fraiture from The Strokes, who is regarded as one of the most important bassists of the 2000’s. And last but not least, the drummer, Erik Jiminez is just brilliant. Jiminez’s style and energy can be heard throughout the album and provides the strong backbone for the band to excel off of.
Highlighted tracks include:
“Money On It”
Serving as the album’s lead single, this track will certainly creep its way into many fans’ road trip playlists. The light-hearted rhythm section along with the catchy vocal lines make this an enjoyable song that will likely dominate together PANGEA’s radio airplay for quite a while.
“Better Find Out”
The band has developed a lot since 2008. This track serves as a refresher into the kind of music that the band started out with. Fast, aggressive, and quick.
“Friend of Nothing”
This track digs into whatever influences from the 80’s the band has collected over time. An echoey guitar and a subtle swirling synthesizer in the background creates beautiful melodic choruses and distinct verses.
“Southern Comfort”
Putting together the band’s newer indie sound with their punk roots leaves you with this track. Along with the melodic guitar licks, the drums are rattling and the punk chords are audible. This is the new together PANGEA sound.
Overall, this album rocks. If you’re a long time together PANGEA fan, then you have something really cool to get excited about. The album is sure to draw new fans as well who will be hooked by the band’s more developed and full sound. “Bulls and Roosters” is a big step forward for this LA four-piece.
Like the new album? Here are the two closest shows to the Cincinnati area. Full schedule available at http://togetherpangea.com
Oct. 05 – Cleveland, OH @ Mahall’s
Oct. 06 – Chicago, IL @ Bottom Lounge
No Comments