Pinsky
Weekends EP
Sinking Ship Records
Available on iTunes
Posthumous releases are a risky business. Great bands call it quits, and labels drop compilations of remastered tracks and an acoustic rendition or two. Perhaps you luck out and get a couple of b-sides, or a sleigh bell-ridden Christmas single. Very rarely do bands or labels take the time to record and release any of the quality material that was in the works when things came to an end. Pinsky, however, has taken the time to do exactly that. The Weekends EP is composed of three tracks that manage to say all of the things the band might have otherwise left unsaid.
With a debut as hard hitting as Losing Touch, Pinsky deciding to call it quits was a tough blow to take. The announcement that the band would be cutting one last EP was the silver lining, and within the first 10 seconds of “On The Radio” Pinsky shows that they haven’t given up on bringing the party. The track tears out of the gate with catchy lead lines and moving chords, hitting hard from the get-go. Though packed with hooks and energy, “On The Radio” still carries a bittersweet sense of loss at its core, with lines like, “I’d even write you that poppy song, like one you’d hear on the radio / If I thought it’d make a difference at all,” and, “I miss the thought of you and I / Back at home, together and alone / Remind yourself what matters most,” standing out and hitting home.
“Gravity” plays out as both a reflection on the band’s experience and as a thank you letter to the band’s fans and supporters. The chorus says in no uncertain terms, “We’d fall / If it weren’t for you all rooting us on / We’d break / By the choices we made / So don’t change.” Much like “On The Radio”, “Gravity” shows how far the band has come musically since Losing Touch without sacrificing any of its defining energy. Accents throughout the palm muted verses bring life into the track, while dual vocals on the choruses and bridge bring to mind all of the things that made Losing Touch such a solid debut. It’s the bridge, however, where “Gravity” hits its peak; the gang vocals when the band cries out, “Take what your heart wants / Take what your heart needs,” are positively monumental.
The Weekends EP closes with “Passed Youth”, an aptly named track. Acoustic guitars and honest vocals throughout the song capture the conflicting emotions and bittersweet feelings of closing a chapter and moving on. “Passed Youth” begins with, “I tried to stretch the weekend for twelve years or so / I spent a long time keeping this alive,” but all things end and the Weekends EP is a perfect sendoff. From nostalgia to gratitude, Weekends explores the mixed bag of growing up and moving on, and even offers a bit of cautious excitement for what might be around the bend. Pinsky has done right by their fans in putting their best into this last offering.
