Members of Come Closer have played in Dan Padilla, Pinback, Tiltwheel, and more. While that background is helpful for setting the tone, though, it’s not really essential. They are a new-ish group and We Died With Print is their second album. J. Wang is the ringleader of the band, which is rooted in DIY basement punk but expands their sound well beyond those three chords. You’ll find elements of ‘90s alternative, indie rock, folk, even some subtle country tinges if you look for them. It’s world weary music with heart: a band of working class folks who aren’t afraid to show their soft side.
I think The Replacements are a good place to start in referencing what Come Closer is doing on this record because, while they have slowed things down, it still feels raw, personal and deceptively simple. That’s a pretentious way of say the band sticks to their roots and it works to great effect. They don’t reinvent rock ‘n’ roll but it’s heartfelt and it clicks, whether it’s the punkier vocals of “Harsh Meadows,” or the fuzzy alt-rock guitars of “Blue Eyes,” or the soft and somber “Tecate and Lime.” At the end, “Talk About It” merges all of those styles into a single track cohesively.
The songs that stick out to me the most tend to lean more on the punk side of things: “Harsh Meadows,” “Castle Walls,” “Always Waiting” and “Not Around,” the latter being the most Dan Padilla-esque of the bunch. But a whole record of that style wouldn’t have the same effect. The punchier moments hit you because they are part of bigger Venn diagram of emotions. The full record delivers working class, slice of life reality with good days and bad. The beauty is finding those moments where it all comes together, including what we’ve learned from our hardships. Come Closer may come out of the punk scene, but this record would pair well with everything from Bruce Springsteen to Tom Petty to Leatherface or Husker Du.
