Do Not Engage
The Pack A.D.
Released by Nettwerk
Well-received at each of their performances in the nation’s capital, The Pack A.D. seemed poised to have a fruitful new year after some change.
After releasing four albums with Vancouver-based Mint Records, the duo signed with the larger label Nettwerk in the spring of last year.
It’s always been a question of how long the garage-punk formula of drummer Maya Miller and vocalist/guitarist Becky Black would last. Simplistic song structures and everything turned up to level 11 often becomes tiring, and leaves the listener wondering if they had some new tricks up their sleeves moving forward.
A fresh start with the new label seems to have done just that.
The two have delivered Do Not Engage, a record that isn’t as noisy as anything they’ve done prior, while also featuring a bit less of the straightforward ‘bang ‘n’ crash’ style they’ve been known to follow.
If anything, the album is more engaging than ever before.
Do Not Engage represents a much-needed moment of growth for the west coast duo, continuing their steps away from the raw sound that characterized their earlier years.
Lots of new ideas are at play within the record.
Opener “Airborne” is a slow-building rocker featuring Black’s beautiful singing as opposed to her rollicking punk rock shout.
“The Flight” is a heady number reminiscent of something from Radiohead, with Black’s long, echoing drawl evoking a hypnotic feeling amidst a repetitive backbeat.
“Needles” is a rare sans-drums moment for the band, where Black delivers some of the record’s more heartfelt material in a sea of reverb.
Fear not, it’s not as if all the rock edge is gone from the band’s sound.
Perhaps it can be considered more refined, as evidenced on tracks such as “Animal” and “Creepin’ Jenny.”
The two have always had a knack for kicking out some danceable jams too, and Do Not Engage is no exception, offering up the surprisingly hooky “Big Shot” and “Stalking Is Normal.”
The loudest moment remains “Battering Ram,” as Black strongly shouts over the crashing of drummer Miller in an explosive chorus.
The Pack A.D. are pleasantly surprising with a lot of the material on Do Not Engage.
The improvement in the thought process behind songwriting and arrangements is quite apparent. Regardless of its title, it manages to keep the listener engaged.
