PIERRE | Photo Courtesy
‘Pierre’ may be the band’s first full length album, but they have been an integral member of the scene since 2012.
Minneapolis DIY favorites Pierre finally released their full-length self-titled debut Friday, Oct. 12 to the excitement of fans.
The trio composed of Alex Dunn, Lucas Margulies and Kevan Larson take flavors of ’90s grunge greats like Pearl Jam and Bush and add harder punk elements to create their signature sound since their conception in 2012.
While the release of “Pierre” will no doubt garner more fans, the band had nothing to prove as far as musical prowess. They have long been looked up to by area bands and fans alike.
‘Canvas’
For a lyric heavy song, Pierre successfully prevents listeners from feeling bombarded with words. The rhythm and flow of the words diffuse their sheer amount. “Canvas” creeps into the mind of the hopeless outsider: “When I, when I look inside you/ I know, I know I’m not like you.” The heavy track also identifies with those ousted from the general social circle because of a refusal to blindly follow the populace.
The emotion behind the lyrics and its conveyance is more important than perfect pitch or vocal control. The rawness of the vocals reinforce the frustration the artist is experiencing around him.
With a heavy background of high gain guitar and deep bass, the desperation and palpable emotion make “Canvas” one of the album’s strongest songs.
‘Way to Go’
In contrast to “Canvas,” “Way to Go” focuses on the instrumentation rather than extensive lyrics. The vocals still retain their raw urgency, but are heard in front of heavy cymbal work, brighter guitar and fuzzed out bass lines.
A song full of poppy repetition, “Way to Go” is the type of song you yell along to in your car or scream along to at a concert.
‘Well’
The monotone lyrics and rocking guitar riff give “Well” an undeniable shoegaze tone. The dreamy pace at which the song progresses and the eerie harmonies give “Well” an intriguing quality. The rhyme scheme of the lines add to the pleasantly dreamy tone despite their message: “I swim, you sink/ Happiness is what you think/I fold, I melt/ I reconfigure myself.”
‘Inhale the Sun’
This energetic album closer is a refreshing departure from the standard practice of gently easing listeners out of an album. It has become common for albums to close with a soothing soundscape lasting about half a minute. Instead, Pierre decides to energize their listeners and leave them wanting more.
That is one of the beauties of independent bands: they govern themselves and thus their music. They can do whatever they want because they don’t have to pander to a label’s audience or vision for the band.
A fast paced poppy track, “Inhale the Sun” is a grungy impassioned love song. With lyrics such as, “From the ashes of a once forsaken man/I thank Heavens it was you that took my hand,” he acknowledges the positive effect this love has made. Not a sappy slow song, this is a song you’ll gladly listen to over and over again.