In a whole bunch of these blurbs, we sound like we’re channeling the kids from this commercial…
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Thomas Inskeep: ’90s Yo La Tengo plays the ’80s Duran Duran songbook. I approve.
[6]
John Seroff: “Enemy” is an elegantly melodic guitar mope in the Marcy Playground mode, simultaneously light and threatening in equal parts. It comes bearing obvious British new wave signifiers and is catchy as hell.
[8]
Iain Mew: It makes me think of a host of ’80s jangle groups, but also of Jimi Goodwin from Doves’ beaten-up bass blast of a voice and of Super Furry Animals’ way with an electronic breakdown. The appeal is more in hearing many different familiar modes I like in a small space than anything else, but Merchandise do all of them well. Having a consistent mood but varied texture isn’t as easy as they make it sound.
[7]
Megan Harrington: Merchandise are beginning their career with the sort of plainly adult songcraft it takes most bands a decade to embrace. Keep them on your radar, especially if you believe in time travel or devolution, because they’re going to blow our minds when they shake off the shackles of dullness.
[6]
Jonathan Bradley: A festive mid-tune breakdown suggests this band has some ideas; the mid-tempo jangle surrounding it suggests they apportion them meanly. I like when, say, Real Estate are this modest, but they are better at deflecting attempts to parse them. Merchandise are just vivid enough to suggest their triviality is accidental.
[3]
Anthony Easton: The space where a self-aware joke becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy is filled with boredom and sadness.
[2]
Alfred Soto: Remove the jangle-fied variant on the “Jumpin’ Jack Flash” riff and what’s left is an arch vocal in search of a context and a rhythm section in search of a rhythm.
[4]
Brad Shoup: Here’s my rule: when power pop’s bad, it’s awful. When jangle pop’s great, it’s pretty good. I’ll probably carry the main guitar figure around for a day or two, maybe think about bygone vacations stealing time for alternative videos on my grandparents’ cable. The texture’s there — from the suggestion of mandolin to the U2 FX at the beginning, a whole section of rock strata is accounted for — but the effect is homeopathic. And what’s up with that sudden fadeout?
[5]
Katherine St Asaph: I expected to hear many things, mostly of eyeliner-’80s provenance. I did not expect to hear Tom Petty with vocal fry and reverb. Does my ear just suck, or does this?
[4]
Patrick St. Michel: I think it’s alright in the age of streaming services to hear pleasant-enough, vaguely shadowy indie pop like this and just say “you know you can listen to Black Tambourine, and have a better time right?”
[5]
Micha Cavaseno: My mother used to love the music of U2, Echo & The Bunnymen, Depeche Mode, Duran Duran, The Smiths and bands who probably were a big influence on this band. I sent it to her and she responded with “Hmmm. Can’t make much out of it. When are you going to burn your sister that Maroon 5 CD?” Someone tell 4AD they can do better, and they’ve done better in the past. Bands have done what Merchandise has done so much better, IN THE PAST. Let’s move on and put this terrible bit of college-rock negative-space jangle-goffake bullshit IN THE (wait for it) PAST.
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