I’ll admit it took me a while to really dive into this debut release from Maritime garage rock group, Penny & the Pits, since it came out in June—an absolutely insane time for music releases that drop like apples out of an overencumbered tree. Penelope Stevens is usually slaying on the bass and doing some backing vocals for the freaky art rock group, Motherhood, whose genre fucked album, Thunder Perfect Mind, still takes the cake as one of the weirder releases earlier this year, but now she has written and produced this wonderfully aquatic debut, Liquid Compactor. Not to mention that it was mixed by Deerhoof’s Greg Saunier.
The story follows, and I quote “a very hot and exclusive g*rl gang that discovers a sentient underwater machine and harnesses its power to do their vengeful bidding.” I mean, sure why not? These songs are fun as hell, jumping between an erratic garage, artsy rock on “Thick Black Gloves” that dips its toes into feminist, riot grrrl vibes and some good old-fashioned surf doom on “Pool Party.” All these songs also feel submerged and wet, meshing great with aquatic reverie.
Liquid Compactor never takes itself too seriously and has all the bells and whistles to feel fun and rewarding. “Sweat,” is probably my favourite with its buzzing surf punk synergy and hushed, dark and sexy vocal style. Like Sabrina Carpenter if she had some teeth. I was never bored once during this album. The closer, “Ward of the Watershed,” is absolutely gorgeous and one of the best album finishers I’ve heard this year, combining many of the sounds we get on Liquid Compactor and tying them into a nice bow with an osciallting marriage of synths, bass, drums, and shakers. This aquatic life of Penny & the Pits is imaginative and simply extraordinary.
