Pentimento – I, No Longer

Pentimento return with their latest full length instalment, I, No Longer.  The Buffalo, New York four-piece has undergone a noticeable transition since their earliest years.  Their ongoing momentum has brought them from a place of slightly brash, more predictable songwriting to their current destination, which leans most heavily on channelling a smoother take on their 90’s influenced emo roots.  Favouring vocal cleanness over roughness, Pentimento are working at their most melodic, which is good news for fans of their previous EP, Inside The Sea.

While previous efforts struck listeners with their most intense melodies at the easiest moments, I, No Longer opens on one of the album’s most reserved notes.  Vocalist Jeramiah Pauly sings softly without a hint of grain in his angsty style, not unlike that of a more mature Light Years.  With long, drawn out vocal notes placed against tepid shore crashing sonic waves, “Small Talk For Strangers” finds balance between stringy guitar and full bodied riffs.  Culminating in a slow burning chorus of backing vocals, Pentimento bridges the track with follow up “My Solution Is In The Lake.”  There’s somewhat of a Tigers Jaw meets Tales Don’t Tell Themselves era Funeral For A Friend loosely lurking somewhere in Pauly’s polished performance.  In other words, they’ve since hung up their dash of hardcore in favour of pursuing bigger, song spanning harmonies.  

I, No Longer is a remarkably calm album for Pentimento.  Tracks like “Slow But Sure” and “Sink Or Swim” layer on vocals and guitars in melodic sequence, building up to reasonably catchy choruses that blend the altrock elements of Taking Back Sunday with the jangly structures characteristic of Hostage Calm and Transit.  The ease of play mirrors post-punk stalwarts Brand New during minimal, melancholy moments.  For instance “No Matter What” and “Getaway” hover around such a place although they never really reach the dark depths implicit in that comparison.  The band feels very confident in their delivery, although at times they feel as if they’re taking a safer route than with the debut that originally landed them on the map (which will come down to a matter of preference for listeners).

With I, No Longer Pentimento makes good on the promising change of direction first explored in Inside The Sea.  The foundation makes for a natural extension in calm but relatively complex melody that quietly emerges across the twelve accompanying tunes.  Pentimento initially exploded on the scene with quite the initial statement.  While much of that initial fire has since evolved into something more subtle, the resulting craftsmanship remains top notch.