Pinkwash – ‘Collective Sigh’

By Glen Bushell

For the members of Pinkwash, naming their debut record ‘Collective Sigh’ couldn’t be a more appropriate album title. It is a record born out of frustration and desperation, and is the aural equivalent of a deep intake of air, followed by a long and anguished exhale. Tackling subjects of a political nature, that are close to the hearts of duo Joey Doubek and Ashley Arnwine, ‘Collective Sigh’ serves as a cathartic release.

It is brash and disjointed from the outset, but has an underlying inviting quality. The simple, low-end riffs of ‘No Real Witness’ and ‘Metastatic’ are unrelenting, driven by tight, cracking snare drums. It is a formula that is utilised throughout the duration of ‘Collective Sigh’, with their powerful garage punk rarely subsiding.

It is Doubeck’s vocals that most of the melody stems from on ‘Collective Sigh, and is enchanting on each composition. From the moments where it is compressed, and laden with ambience on ‘The Brevity Is Unkind’ – a song focusing directly on the death of his mother through breast cancer – to the points where he hits an impeccable higher register on the proto-grunge stomp of ‘Space Dust’, he is note perfect.

Where Pinkwash let themselves down, is that the tracks on ‘Collective Sigh’ are all very similar, both in length and structure. While each track is far form indistinguishable, they haven’t mixed things up much, meaning a caustic piece like ‘Burning Too’ fails to have the impact it should have. Perhaps the intention is to have the album flow like one continuous track, in which case they have succeeded, but some breathing space to let the bigger tracks soar would have made certain sections stand out.

It is however an accomplished debut. The gritty production of ‘Collective Sigh’ adds to the urgency of the album, the passion that the songs a delivered with is virtually unrivalled. It serves as the perfect platform for Pinkwash to exorcise their inner demons, and will set them up for bigger things in the future.

GLEN BUSHELL

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