Priors - Daffodil
Mothland
Released June 2nd, 2023
If the holy trinity of modern garage rock consists of father John Dwyer, son Ty Segall, and holy spirit Jay Reatard, then Montreal based band Priors are bishops to the church of the holy spirit. The band's latest offering Daffodil is bursting with snappy guitar riffs, sassy organ leads, cruising bass lines, and witty lyricism. Building off the tone they set for their first few albums, they continue on with the stream of tight succinct tracks that bury deep in your brain. This album feels somewhat more structured and to the point compared to their earlier discography, leaning more towards the post in post punk, similar to Jay Reatard in his later years. It sits right on the edge of pure chaos, yet refines itself only slightly to give it a unique punch.
The guitar tone is warm and fuzzed out, giving it that perfect punchy rhythm guitar sound. It doesn’t try to be too flashy as you won’t find much soloing happening here. Instead the guitar works to set the fast rhythmic pace along with the bass, then occasionally will step back and help compliment the organ leads. The bass is dry and thumpy which lets the band feel choppy, in turn giving Priors a very jumpy and energetic vibe. The drums compliment the rhythm of the bass and guitar expertly. They never try to be too much with unnecessary rolls and flare that just takes away from the music. The drums are dirty and mixed deep down into the track, simply sitting there acting as part of a well oiled machine. The organ is where a huge amount of this album's charm and flare come from. It’s a fun and playful sound that breaks up the tracks with simple, yet incredibly catchy melodies. The vocal approach to this type of music is often understated however, cannot be ignored. It is buried, mixed, and effected heavily into the music, but fits it like nothing else, spewing the band's frustrated and anthemic lyricism. The perfect marriage between lo-fi charm and aggressive punk rock.
There is something completely charming and endearing about this album, despite it being a lo-fi punk project. It’s approachable and sits with you well after listening. It has a carefree vibe to it that is unique among Canadian bands that lean more into the noisy and distorted. It flows seamlessly from end to end. It’s a post punk sound that almost feels more at home with the Australian or Midwest scene with bands like Gee Tee, Erik Nervous, or Powerplant. Perfectly sketchy but perfectly enjoyable.
- Nigel Young
