Pillow Talk – What We Should Have Said EP

Melding shoegaze with any number of loose alternative genres and sounds seems to be a growing theme these days.  Over the past six months alone, a diverse roster of bands including Kittyhawk, Restorations, and Title Fight have all blended familiar forms of indie-pop and punk with the formerly narrow-scoped genre.  Yet another rock-solid instance opens for discussion with the advent of Memphis, TN’s Pillow Talk.  Their second EP, What We Should Have Said, offers up yet another promisingly original example of this steadily expanding trend.

Opening with “Bend’s” shimmering dose of guitar reverb and hazy distortion, Pillow Talk takes to the stage with a cloudy, nearly two-minute instrumental intro that subtly builds their foundation.  “Make You Real” tunes up the fuzz filled indie-pop as Josh Cannon’s crisp, crackling vocals eloquently enter the spotlight.  The song slowly swells and softly bleeds into neighbouring track “Heaven Sent,” morphing into the cautiously unfolding chorus.  Just because Pillow Talk plays with echoes and soundwaves, doesn’t mean they can’t turn out a catchy tune.

Balance & Composure and Seahaven references abound, although the central meandering push of ambient guitars work mostly towards setting a blanketed dreamscape more than anything overtly memorable.  The band leaves that job for “Room’s” simple, lasting and glistening hooks.  But therein lies the quintet’s biggest challenge, What We Should Have Said struggles at reconciling those strong, lucid connections with a broader, systemic artistic vision.  In other words, as exemplified in the six-minute crawler “Escape Me,” the band perhaps tends to spend more time than necessary in a repetitive, low energy daze, teasing listeners with intermittent memorable highlights.  It’s a matter of preference, but will definitely shape what listeners walk away with.

As far as shoegaze infused pop-punk hybrids go, Pillow Talk’s latest EP ranks well amongst the competition.  What We Should Have Said isn’t without room for growth, but as far as a second efforts go, Pillow Talk stands well poised for future successes.