THE PANTS SITUATION
The Ugly Man
Lukes Records
· The four 18-year-olds in The Pants Situation have crafted the best local release in recent memory with The Ugly Man.
I’m not normally one to puff up a project by a local artist if it’s not worthy of my praise, but The Ugly Man is a different story entirely. The Pants Situation’s debut full-length is a delectable dish of power-pop perfection – without a doubt the best local release of its kind since The Minks’ Van Gundy. Blending the sounds and styles of Sloan, Weezer and The Rentals, the P-Sitch have crafted a highly addictive collection, crammed full of catchy hooks, complex harmonies and whip-smart lyrics. The frenetically paced opener "Leaving Town" sets the stage perfectly, and is closely followed by the burbling synths of "High Five." "Modest Living" follows a similar pattern with equally successful results, and "Technicolor" sounds like a B-side from Return Of The Rentals. "Swamp Sex Robots" is another punchy rave-up, and "The Ugly Man" is a rollicking live favourite, translated perfectly onto CD. But my favourite track of all is "Sound/Light," updated from its original incarnation on the West Ocean EP with lyrical couplets like "a penny for your thoughts/a thousand more for the cab ride home" that just work perfectly. I can’t speak highly enough of this album.
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