Paste - Amoral EP

Paste

Amoral EP
self-released; 2015

3.8 out of 5

By Jamie Robash

The Portland based power pop rock trio Paste was lucky enough to have been born in the great western musical mecca that is Oregon. Its three members Nick Kilfoil, Trask Schulte and Sam Schulte were born and raised in the woodsy town of Salem.  

After two years of practicing and playing shows, the band has released their first EP the four-song Amoral EP.  Their songs are exactly what one would expect from a young band from a rather progressive part of the country, and living in a town, which many folks consider to be the Brooklyn of the west.

They run the gamut from melodic guitar rock to more experimental and psychedelic guitar rock. It is a style which has come back into fashion as of late and made its way into the indie mainstream, thanks mostly to the vast network of Internet tributaries which have brought underground music above ground for anyone with ears to hear. 

But let’s not get off topic. The Amoral EP opens with the poppy and catchy “Attracted” with its shimmering guitars and hard thumping bass lines which reminded me of both Pinback and Pavement. “Attracted” also has some nice a cappella harmonies to go along with it too. 

Next the band takes it down a notch on the lo-fi psychedelic slack rocker “Spring.” It’s reminiscent of Lou Barlow’s projects like Sebadoh and the Folk Implosion with its fuzzy reverberations and its tribal sounding drum beats.  Next the psych gets turned up even further for “Carnivores” which sees the harmonies returning if only briefly. The rest is a guitar-centered jam session. The closing track “Terminal” is a spastic piece of guitar pop. Here again, as in “Carnivores” Paste begins in a formula, which sounds intricate and then turns it into an explosive jam session. 

Paste sounds like a great band to hear live after a couple of beers. They have a fun sound that lends itself to being performed live. Recommended.

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