He sings like an angel
She moves like a God
He paints pretty pictures
I feel like a fraud
That’s the beginning of “Soggy Biscuit”, which is just one of the excellent tracks on Out-pāShənt, the first full-length record by Savannah-based Generation Pill (James Lee, Jesse Lee, and Josh Taft). The album was released late last month by Bomb Shelter Records with a show at Hang Fire, but I haven’t been able to catch Generation Pill, who have developed their sound primarily at DIY venues that we really can’t report on here.
With songs ranging from less than two minutes to more than eight minutes, Out-pāShənt takes artistic risks and explores some dark psychological territory, but the overall emotional impact is buoyed by the biting powerful vocals, folk-punkish acoustic guitar, and unexpectedly rich instrumentation.
So the opening verses of a song like “Reform Dance” might seem at first like nothing more than angsty grunge —
I don’t know what this is, I don’t know what I’m doing
I don’t know who this is
I don’t know who I’m screwing over
I am no apprentice, got no scholarly living;
I’m not learning much, I’m not learning much no more
— but give it a listen below. Bet you didn’t expect that sound.
If you want to know more about the genesis of the record, check out this long interview with Lee and Taft by Anna Chandler in Connect Savannah. But the album is so strong and evocative that it stands up just fine on its own.
Generation Pill will be performing at the all-ages Sulfur Studios on 11/9 as one of the openers for Creepoid (one of our favorite bands with Savannah ties). Click here for the event invite. The show was originally scheduled for The Bomb Shelter, but the space is no longer hosting shows.
The Bomb Shelter may no longer exist as a performance space, but Out-pāShənt suggests there’s a future for the Bomb Shelter label.
1 comment for “Generation Pill takes some risks with first full-length “Out-pāShənt””