SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: PANG ATTACK – TEARS FOR THE WAVE

PANG ATTACK
TEARS FOR THE WAVE
INDEPENDENT

Out of Montreal comes Pang Attack. Tears For The Wave is their second album, and their sophomore album has been a long time coming, eight years to be exact. Tears For The Wave not only live up to the expectations but surpasses them. This is an excellent album full of very diverse songs and sound, yet it comes together as a very cohesive album.

The band very successfully merges 2025 alternative to the 1960s and 1970s psychedelic rock with some singer/songwriter thrown in for good measure. “Appalachian Wave,” for example, invokes the spirit of mid-1960s Bob Dylan, but then the ambient-like layered sound with the acoustic guitar creates an entirely new and interesting sound. Whereas a song like “Rosalynne” lets you hear what happens when you combine 1990s Britpop with the 1960s (the origin of Britpop). It is an excellent song, with great synthesizer breaks and remarkably emotional vocals.

While the band does wear their influences on their collective sleeves (“Low-Born Man” does tap into The The), they are smart enough to roll all these influences together and develop their own sound. The last track on the album, “Brushfires,” is a beautiful, melancholic acoustic song with a subtle arrangement that gives the song that extra desperation. It is a beautiful and powerful song. Lyrically, the song reads like a poem and expertly conveys trying to cope with the frustration and struggles of the present day. It is not an angry song, (“Scum (Rose To Power)” takes on that role), but rather sad and hopeless. Again, although it conjures up The Divine Comedy, it is their own distinct sound.

Tears For The Wave is a very melodic and well-written album. The production is perfect for their music, and the album is full of very memorable and multi-layered songs. Tears For The Wave gets better with each listen. It has been far too long for a new Pang Attack album, but it has been worth the wait. They have conjured up an excellent, thought provoking and passionate album. Tears For The Wave is an album of feeling. The components of the album come together to touch the soul of the listener and leave a little scar. It is a brilliant album.

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