Pity Party - Readymades

​Pity Party

Readymades
self-released; 2016

3.5 out of 5

By Matt Jensen

After four years of performing together in a rock band, Matt Villanueva (vocals/drums/programming) and Thomas Ronan (piano) tried something that is completely different. The duo goes by Pity Party and their three-song EP Readymades shows some potential.

The best thing the duo has going for them is that they are willing to think outside of the box and mix and meld genres. Some of it works great while other moments don’t pan out as well. Either way I have to hand it these guys for willing to take chances and break tradition.

The EP opens with “Someone Living (First to Know)” which was the highlight of the three. I thought the opening lines were funny in a good way. Villanueva sings, “Keep it down, for christ's sake it's getting old / I'm getting older than my parents ever budgeted for.” The song instead of melding genres just kind of transitions. Take for instance the verse, which is a pop-oriented verse that unexpectedly goes into hip-hop. It actually works out better than it sounds. 

I thought the production was decent for a DIY effort but I have to mention the cymbals had too many high frequencies. Unfortunately, it's hard to get away with cranking this song because your ears may start ringing. 

“King + Queen” while not as strong as the first or last song has some inspired moments. The vocals were a bit too loud on track. Like their other songs the band tries to experiment with some success. The best moment comes a little after two minutes where the band breaks it down like a marching band. 

The most innovative and original moments were the beginning of “Bloodhound for Oblivion.” I was digging the vocal delivery and lyrics. Villanueva sings “Carcinogens feed at the back of my mind and engender my concept of time / Valedictorian, class of two-thousand forever, have you ever, seen a face so ripe for a sedentary lifestyle?” The song jumps all over the place. Not all of it works but most it does and again I tip my hat to them for thinking outside of the box. 

​Pity Party isn't there yet but they are onto something with their style. If they can continue to refine their production and push the envelope while still making it accessible you should be hearing a lot more from them.

Become A Fan

bandcamp

Tweet