Album Review:
Porches - The House
words by Kyra Bruce
New York based artist Porches, or Aaron Maine, recently released his third album “The House”. It is a very introspective and poetic experimental indie dance mix. The album is so full and deep it sounds like it was recorded 13 feet under water. A high hat or a synth will occasionally break up the deep drumming and the somber lyrics but then the album returns to a very gloomy, lonely mood.
Songs like “Leave The House” and “Find Me” are more dance-centric club anthems. They are songs you could really pump your fist in the air to at a poorly lit discotheque (or they could easily be played at Forever 21).
“Now The Water” could really fit in on the soundtrack to an indie summer teen movie and brings the album to a more upbeat place.
Vivid imagery in the song “Country” feels like a moment we’ve all lived, swimming in a lake with someone we love. Although, the auto tune echo behind the lyrics makes it feel silly and can easily take you out of the song.
“By My Side”, a ballad to an ex-lover makes you feel like you’re in a club but you’re crying in the bathroom over some ex that just randomly texted you.
The somber techno tracks are intercut with short and odd experiments, “Understanding” is Aaron’s own father talking over ambient synth sounds, “Akeren” is sung entirely in Norwegian, “Swimmer” is an auto-tuned ballad to swimming that clocks in at just under a minute.
This album does have some good songs, but most of the beats sound like they came from the preset buttons on an electric keyboard. The auto tune is too much and feels silly, and the short interludes are a strange mess of half formed ideas. But this is still a fun album that is definitely worth a listen!
Listen to The House on Spotify below: