So, the three regular adults that make up Psychic Teens has found time in their adult lives to hash out another album of quirky skronking post punk that is somewhat coerced through a heavy (emphasis on the heavy) dose of disaffected charm and maybe some early nineties alternative rock (this is a purposefully broad stroke because there are many little nuances all over this record that would be tedious tapping them out though fun to “spot” as you listen).
I still stand by my previous assessment that the rhythm section of Psychic Teens is a huge part of what makes this three-piece work (opener “NO” shows how well these guys click) by propelling the songs forward while the guitars add the necessary textures and panache to the general din, leaving a significant bed for the vocals to sound as disaffected as they possibly can be. I will also stand by my previous comments about the vocals sounding a ton like Iggy Pop (listen to “LUST” and tell me those vocals do not draw heavily from the Ig’s vocal style on The Idiot or Lust For Life), and no, I would not consider such a comparison a bad thing as “LUST” is easily my favorite track on COME. There are times that the vocals are so disaffected that the songs seem to be not engaging (like on “RIP”), but then songs like “LESS” and “BUG” (the backing vocals add a ton of character here) will pop up and show all three members really working in sync and showing off just what they can do given the right circumstances.
Is COME wholly original and new? No, not really but while you can tell that at least one of these three guys worships at the alter of certain influential groups, Psychic Teens show with this record that they certainly have their own take or vision of what exactly they want to do with these sounds. Sure, Psychic Teens has debts to previous acts for some aspects of their sound; but COME shows that the band is still maturing in fits and starts. Yes, I think that their first recording is a much more cohesive and focused effort but COME has more personality and more high points that overcomes some of its flaws (at times I think that I am listening to two separate records with this) which seemingly makes it a more human record. Think about it this way; when the adult crash happens most people pine for their youth, but instead of pining and wallowing in their increasing mortality, Psychic Teens mine the sounds of their youth to create something withCOME more their own in the here and now.
