Pizza Crunch are undoubtedly one of my bands of 2022, so it is no surprise that their new EP, That Serene Age, which comes out this Friday, cements my love for a band who I nearly didn’t listen to initially because of their name. A name which I incidentally now love for a variety of reasons.
You may be familiar now with some of the singles that have preceded the EP, Wilting Youth is a particular standout for me and, I’d hazard a guess at it being one of my most listened to songs of the year. The titles of the other singles, Young Excitement and Romanticised Past, may give an indication as to the subject matter tackled on the EP. Essentially the seven tracks on this superb release tackle the fleeting transience of life with each song exploring various different life stages from youth to, well…. death. A concept EP if you like…
The EP kicks off in a bittersweet melancholic style with Entangled in a Myth, a plaintive piano breaking the silence, before empathetic guitar and vocals lament the stresses of modern life and the tragedy of suicide? “It’s no wonder so many bow out” sings Ewan going on to observe others “soldier on entangled in a myth”. Certainly a thought-provoking introduction.
Young Excitement appears on first listen to be an upbeat jangly guitared indie pop anthem but listen closer to the lyrics and it is all about mourning the loss of your exuberant childhood, “young excitement, where have you been? We were were never granted a farewell”. The song feels both like a celebration of the innocence of childhood, but also grieves the loss of that childhood. It hits you like a brick in the face… the fact that you never knew that last time on the swings, that last time you splashed through puddles in yer wellies, or that last time you built a den out of sheets and pillows was going to be the last time…
That thought process links lyrically into the soaring upbeat driving rhythms of Romanticised Past, an observation on those times when we all look back on the good old days, often with rose-tinted glasses. The human brain uses its deletion mode to give us a skewed vision of our past while others remember things differently “I seem to remember you being bored out your tits”.
The beguiling nature of the lyrics on this EP draw you in time after time, thoughts once again consumed about the transience of life, and particularly death, throughout the haunting brass tinged melody of Insignificant (and Without a Home). A subtle call to live a full life, you’re a long time dead.
With somewhat immaculate timing I started writing this review as I turned, em… 21 again, lets just say, well beyond my second flush of youth. As such, Wilting Youth took on a more significant twist as I listened to the lyrics. The opening line “the days you doubted would ever arrive” giving rise to thoughts of wishing your life away when you were young and carefree, atop strident guitar riffs and addictively sonorous bass only to cry “nostalgic tears” while “reminiscing” of days gone by, the band come together here in a thunderous crescendo as the song reaches its zenith.
The urgency at the end of Wilting Youth continues into A New Man, starting as a low growl before the melee of instruments bursts into life like a powerful wrecking ball of confused and huge mixed emotions, somewhat reflecting the nature of the lyrics telling the tale of a man “crippled by their own apprehension, wayward inclinations” as he experiences “a recollection of guilt and youth, before a phone call to her”.
The album closer feels like sage advice to someone who has reached my advancing years and for some reason still pays heed and an unhealthy amount of attention to what others think, often to my own detriment. The hypnotic laidback sentiment of the song reflected in its dreamlike melody suggests how life could be if you learn “The Art of Not Giving a Fuck”.
That Serene Age is released on Friday 30th September on all the usual streaming platforms. A vinyl release will be announced soon.
Pizza Crunch – bandcamp