Release Radar: Red Pants "Pale Shadows"
The Madison duo are back with a new EP...and it almost didn't happen.
Good Morning!
Today we’re listening to Pale Shadows, the new EP from Madsion WI-based Red Pants
Few things make your heart drop faster than seeing the spinning wheel of death on your computer. Not being able to get to your email or TPS reports is bad enough, but what if that meant a bunch of songs you’d recorded were suddenly inaccessible?
Getting ready for a recording session—that’s precisely where Red Pants’ Jason Lambeth found himself. “A few weeks ago, I went to boot up my 2009 MacBook to get ready for a recording session, and it wouldn't start,” he says. “Somehow, I managed to get it working, and it was the catalyst to release some of the leftover recordings.”
The first two songs were originally meant for the band's 2023 release, Not Quite There Yet, (which made our 2023 AOTY list) but they were cut for time/sequencing.
From the write-up:
Part of the band’s appeal is their layered, dense sound. It’s full of textures and sounds that reveal more of themselves with each listen. Lambeth is an accomplished artist; the sound reflects the collages and other art he creates daily.
Similarly, drummer elsa Nekola is a talented author, and her steady rhythm keeps everything moving along the way it should. Think early Sonic Youth, early Yo La Tengo, and anytime Galaxie 500.
That layered sound that made Not Quite There Yet so good is very much alive on the follow-up EP Pale Shadows. Lambeth and drummer Elsa Nikola set the stage early for an EP full of flavors, old and new, with the instrumental “To The Deep End.” The track kicks things off with a driving riff and steady beat. The tempo and temperature rise as it goes on before opening to a swirling crescendo at the end.
A quick blitz of feedback announces the next track, “Proto Punk.” With its chorus of “I remember the Proto Punk,” the hardest track on the EP is also the catchiest. You’ll remember them, too, as that’ll invariably get stuck in your head.
We downshift a bit with “Underneath the Sun.” Its warm keys will immediately remind you of Yo La Tengo’s “Sudden Organ” in all the best ways
“Sunset Hill” closes things out. Another instrumental, the guitar effects may remind listeners of Peter Hook’s bass on early New Order work (in all the best ways). It’s quiet and contemplative—and perfect for, well, watching autumn sunsets, which I did while listening to it.
Red Pants delivers a consistently appealing, accessible lo-fi sound, and Pale Shadows delivers more of that. This story could've turned out ugly, but luckily, Lambeth was able to get his computer running, recover the lost tracks, and round out a couple of the others. Luckily for us, they released them as an EP before his PC had second thoughts.
Listen:
Red Pants | Pale Shadows (EP) 2024
Click the record to listen via Bandcamp.
As always, I’d love to hear your thoughts on this record!
Thanks for being here,
Kevin—
Didn’t know Jason was on here! Red Pants are amazing! ✨
Oh I follow Jason Lambeth on Youtube for his drawings. I have listened one or two music videos but the algorithm doesn't show me his channel anymore. I listen to Yo La Tengo and Sonic Youth all the time, so of course I like this EP a lot. I follow Red Pants on Bandcamp now, thank you Kévin!