It begins with whispers of melodic synthesizers that tame the heart into thinking this album is another pop sensation piece. The beat quickens, guitars commence, and keyboards combine into a dizzying array of electronic punk chaos. It is the feeling of 3 a.m. on a peaceful Sunday morning just as the sun is rising. The air is thick, the humidity is Minnesotan and the birds are just waking up to the creeping sun. Phone rings. Baby cries. This is the emotion, the emotion of Avenpitch.
Avenpitch’s self-titled album uses the common issues that plague society to express the effects on the mind, body and soul. It is the pain and mental instability that comes with a blurring of emotions from life’s torturous, endless journey.
Heavy synthesizers are used that, at first, require a little warming up to, but soon become like heroin, addicting enough to sell your bodily fluids to continue the trend. The haphazard beats keep the heart pumping, waiting for the next chord to hit and word to drop. Matched perfectly in cue with the use of silences and short, crisp cutouts instead of fade-out endings, Avenpitch devises their music to bend, flex and shape to their style – chaotic and unexpected – leaving you craving your next fix.
On “Hacienda,” Avenpitch manipulates emotion with an upbeat string intro and a rhythm that mimics ruby-red lipped clown movements. The distorted vocals cut in and it seems like your mind is sorting out the effects of mixing beer and hard liquor. As out of place as the vocals seem, they build to the danger that has already accumulated. Shower the hit with impeding buzzes and beeps and it all becomes part of the masterpiece. The jumpy beat is deceiving when the vocals sing of “phony smiles and fake hellos.”
“Hacienda” mixes instruments with vocals in a head-jerking, seizure-inducing and blindly unintentional overdose of heavy beats. The style is authentic and unequivocally an accurate representation of music to come.
“Replay” exposes a dramatically different style than the rest of the other tracks on the album. “Replay’s” vocals are more melodic and blend well with the instruments by matching a techno beat with an emotionally charged vocalist. The track turns the sound from a clashing bombardment of synthesizers and droned vocals into a complimenting, smooth, free-flowing symphony. The theme of “Replay” also seems out of place with the rest of the tracks because of its urge to motivate with its lyrics. “But stand up, get up, sit up, jump, jump, all you can do/Is not let the world tear you in two.”
It would be a mistake to think that Avenpitch is just another punk band relieving their childhood angst. “Replay” is proof. Avenpitch keeps their music unlimited and closes no doors to the innumerable emotions that a human encounters.
“Gravity” gives the album another 180-degree spin. An exquisite blend of inventive synthesizer united with guitars, keyboards and drums invoke deep, questioning emotions. Through a steady beat scattered with light cell-phone-like beeps and video game zaps, “Gravity” is the soundtrack to the erratic, unstable Armageddon of love.
Avenpitch is a growing band ready to make waves. Their unique style and heavy emphasis on irregularity lead the way for electronic-pop-rock bands. The mix of themes, from stone-crushing antagonistic beats to soft-stepped bouncy rhythms, augurs the treasures to come in the next album.
