Leeds duo
PBR Streetgang have been releasing 12" singles since 2008, and their tracks typically range from neo-disco and boogie to sleek tech-house. Their music is often bright, summery, and carefree, and it's always designed with clubs and parties in mind. On their full-length debut, however, they express a wider range of emotions than listeners might expect of them based on most of their previous singles (to be fair, they sampled
the Cure early on in their discography, so there's been a slight undercurrent of post-punk darkness to some of their work). The album opens with "Human Being," a midtempo tune filled with crashing waves, bird calls, and Lily Juniper's highly introspective lyrics which search for understanding and reason. "I Left My Heart" has a slightly faster tempo, but still feels reserved, and seems more appropriate for prowling around a city late at night wearing a trenchcoat than dancing in a club. The album begins to heat up with the bubbling acid house cut "Transfunction," and then shifts into indie-dance mode with the help of Mattie Safer, formerly of
the Rapture, who provides some pointed social commentary on "Everything Changes." The message, of course, is that the more things change, the more they stay the same. Likewise, the majority of the album's remaining tracks stick with
the Streetgang's tried-and-true forms of simmering house and boogie tracks, progressively getting more playful and sophisticated. "Montu" is chock-full of pianos straight out of an early-'90s Italo-house record, and "Money, Casino, Brass" is busier and more vibrant than anything else on the album. While still keeping up a steady, club-friendly tempo, the duo end the album on a surprising note with "Ferric," a lovely, lonely synth-disco tune featuring
Danielle Moore of
Crazy P. With
Late Night Party Line,
PBR Streetgang succeed at delivering the types of party jams they've always been known for, but they also find room to reflect on what's on their mind besides clubbing. ~ Paul Simpson