Heartbreaking Bravery

There are few things more exciting to me than coming across a band worth getting excited about- and the latest addition to that list is Pleistocene, whose “Liberteen” is nothing short of a sugar high. Before getting around to that, though, just like the posts leading up to this one, there will be ten songs that get mentioned based on their strength. 2015 has supplied no shortage of outstanding music in its first four months and these have all surfaces in the past few weeks. Included in those ranks were Glockabelle’s typically insane “Wolf BBQ“, FFS’ dancefloor-ready “Johnny Delusional“, Rose Windows’ winningly complex “Strip Mall Babylon“, and a new solo song from one of the most brilliant songwriters I’ve ever encountered, Colin Bares (of The Coral Riffs, Good Grief, and The Cost of Living), entitled “Infinite Celebrity“. Additionally, there was Western Plaza’s carefree basement pop tune “Thrift Store Girl“, Turnover’s light, charming “Humming“, and Prurient’s terrifyingly brilliant “Greenpoint“. Piling things on were Blur’s freshly rejuvenated “My Terracotta Heart“, O-Face’s sunny indie pop number “Yolanda“, and site favorite Courtney Barnett’s beautiful cover of John Cale’s “Close Watch“. While each and every single one of those is a title worth purchasing, it’s Pleistocene‘s “Liberteen” that earned this post’s feature.

Pleistocene have been a band for a while and have somehow evaded my detection in their time of existence. I’m already attempting to make up for lost time but, even more than that, looking forward to what the band’s got lined up for the future. “Liberteen” is the first glimpse of the band’s forthcoming Space Trap EP (due out via Cherish Records) and it lands every blow it throws. A series of sweet grace notes, it’s another song that deftly combines some subtle twee elements with powerpop and fuzzed-out punk. In short, it’s just about perfect. Melodic beyond reason and effortlessly light without ever seeming disposable, “Liberteen” is the perfect soundtrack for this spring and that distinction will likely extend to summer. Insistent, beautiful, and immensely likable, Pleistocene have thrown their stake into a niche area that’s directly in line with what this site loves to cover. If the rest of Space Trap follows suit, it may just become one of the year’s more memorable releases.

Listen to “Liberteen” below and keep an eye on this site for more coverage of both Space Trap and Pleistocene.