SWL# 27: Pitschouse, "Devil Golems"

 

A word of caution to the throngs of bloggers making their way out of the woodwork for the 2013.5 “best of” lists: don’t post early.  I made that mistake for our This Month in Releases post for May and completely missed out on the killer debut EP from Seattle’s Pitschouse. The trio of Kyle Burnett (guitar and vocals), Amanda Pitsch (piano and synth), and Nick Shively (drums, bass, and vocals) has been playing in and around the Seattle area for more than 6 months, but to tell the truth, I hadn’t paid much attention to them until I clicked play on their eponymously titled EP. The record really lies at the crossection of their collective strengths—imagine the wistful guitar work of bands like DIIV or Real Estate, paired with the playful melodies of Youth Lagoon, and this might sound crazy, but maybe even a touch of Fleetwood Mac-eque warmth in some of the progressions, and you’re pretty close to Pitschouse. In any case, I think “Devil Golems” is probably the best place to start. I love how the whimsical piano work melds with the impish vocal and guitar melodies to create an atmosphere that, paradoxically, is at once both passionate and carefree. Your next chance to see Pitschouse is at this Friday evening at the Henry Art Gallery's Bike Friday Kick Off event alongside William Stratler’s PUNISHMENT project. Their EP is current available as a "name your price" download on BC.