The somewhat meteoric rise of the band Merchandise—from Florida DIY post-punks to Pitchfork repped 4AD signees—has been fascinating, and somewhat unbelievable to watch, especially over the course of the last two years, which is when things have really taken off for the band. And even more surprising is the shift (and I suppose maturation) in the band’s sound—a night and day difference from what you could hear on, say, their 2010 LP Strange Songs (in The Dark) and their latest and 4AD debut After The End.
I hate to pull the “I sipped the hot coffee before it was cool” card, but before Jenn Pelly was documenting, quite literally, the band’s every move for Pitchfork, I had been turned on to the their 2012 effort, Children of Desire—a rather claustrophobic, somewhat menacing affair, though through their rough around the edges, post-punk aesthetics, you could hear some promise, and could tell that if the band focused a little more, they could really shape their sound into something bigger.
That growth continued, albeit slightly, on last year’s Totale Night, a short, five-song album (or EP?) that found the band gradually migrating towards a slightly more “traditional” dream pop sound, but still trying to account for all of their eclecticism—I mean, the title track bordered on 10 minutes in length and included a saxophone freak out at the end.
But now, after inking a deal with the hallowed label 4AD, Merchandise have pulled out all the stops on After The End. Long gone are the lo-fi, partially muddied production values. Those have been replaced with what sounds like it probably cost someone (the band? The label?) a small fortune. In a press release announcing the LP, frontman Carson Cox said, “We’re out to re-imagine ourselves as a pop band,” and that is certainly not an understatement. After The End is a gigantic sounding, bombastic statement that both wears its influences proudly on its sleeves, but also treads that line very tightly by maintaining an originality that allows it to never become too derivative of what inspired it.
After The End, structurally, is front loaded with all of its strongest material, saving not so much the “weakest” tracks for the ending, but throughout the course of the album’s ten tracks, it certainly reaches a peak after the upbeat, New Wave vibes of “Little Killer,” before slowly coming down within the final act, on the triple shot of “Looking Glass Waltz,” the album’s title track, and the somber closing “Exile and Ego.”
But within the first two thirds of After The End, while the band has greatly diversified their sound, one thing that will never change about Merchandise (and hopefully never will) is the incredibly unique vocal stylings and delivery of singer Cox. From underneath his near pompadour hairstyle, Cox has always struck a balance between reserved, tense, and powerful—all sung through what sounds like gritted teeth. And on After The End, he certainly doesn’t hold back; like on the mid-album ballad, “Life Outside The Mirror.”
While the album as a whole is relatively solid, the most effective tracks on After The End include the surprisingly danceable “Enemy.” I mean, just watch this .gif of Ricky Gervais dancing and then listen to this song.
There’s also the 80s “neon reflecting off of a Delorean” slink and slither of “Green Lady,” and then “Telephone,” which is on some straight up Smiths-level shit; like, Johnny Marr and Morrissey probably wish that they had written a song like that 30 years ago.
In addition to generally just being a good batch of songs, the album benefits greatly from upgrade to the 4AD roster—and all the cash that comes with it. After The End is anchored down by rich, fully developed sound, and there are numerous instances of slick studio trickery (tracks that segue into one another, neat production effects, etc) that only add to the album’s overall enjoyment, rather than detract from it.
Despite the band’s near-confrontational, partially inaccessible, and just overall moody sound in the past, After The End is the kind of record that opens you with rather welcoming arms. It’s a bit of a surprising discovery and reversal for Merchandise, who in the past, have come off like they may not have much of a sense of humor, but are (at least for) now, proving otherwise. As the long summer days start to wane, it’s a surprising, yet fitting album to listen to as we say goodbye to summer and welcome the fall.
Rating: 4/5
http://wmerchandise.com/
Kevin also writes for the excellent Anhedonic Headphones.