A Lot on My Crate

When I listened to their debut album Dogsbody in 2023, I was floored by this cold and cacophonous sound that expanded my worldview of music. I wasn’t familiar with No Wave, but it although it causes dissonance, I was being hypnotized by this band’s avant-garde approach to dance punk. I’ve always described their music like music to a groove like you’re being stabbed at while someone is closely singing muses into your ear. And although that experience was intense and cathartic in Dogsbody, that sound didn’t leave us in Pirouette and I’m for one glad. It felt like a short time to already make their sophomore album, but I’m still down for more things I loved about Dogsbody and into this one. It’s tough to say which I love more as it could be so interchangeable. But the coldness is there, the grooves are still there, and Cole Haden’s sultry and tortured vocals are still there. In a famous story, drummer Ruben Radlauer and guitarist Jack Wetmore apparently found Haden performing by “writhing on the floor in a corset, with fake blood dripping in his face.” I love to imagine the mindset of the drummer and guitarist looking at him and saying, “That’s our guy! He’s our first draft!” And it totally fits as Haden’s vocals give both Dogsbody and Pirouette an identity. Like I described Hit It! by vianova as a beast, Pirouette is a diva. A diva that has more bite than a beast. The diva character is on about social norms, LGBTQ issues, mental health, self-hatred, religious themes, as well as violent and sexual imagery abounds. This album is theatrical, gay, abrasive, mechanical, and it sounds like a cry for help. Haden’s deep voice delivers and it gives sultry, but makes him a dangerous, sympathetic force to be reckon with. And he is backed by with this knife sharp instrumental. This whole album is an anxiety inducing trip. Oh I forgot to mention too, this album is danceable as hell! My God, they made someone’s pain so danceable.

Anxiety attacks! And you’ll know what I mean when you start out with the opening act of “Vespers”. With that staccato synth that they use in tangent with the bass groove. This character takes the stage and is ready to writhe with fake blood. “Cinderella” sounds just like any song that can the Dogsbody tracklist. I am devoid of any complaints, because this track is such a banger with their own retelling of the ‘Cinderella’ story with moments of composure and then chaos. “Poppy” displays a person who is hurting by putting up image of a beautiful self, but surrounded by and decimated by violence. The reason I loved “Diva”, because the beat behind this beast just lurks along with Haden’s spoken word. Loved the part where he just elongated calling himself a bitch. This interlude that is “Headlights” has a lot of religious overtones of a boy who had crush on another with these dying church organs. It highlights Haden’s character and gives us more of a dossier of how he’s this self-indulgent, but tortured self. “Acid Rain” is more laid back and takes a break from the horror with this acoustic number and moment of clarity. “Departures” still continues being laid back, but the monster is still wanting out. And after no one hears his prayers, “Audience” grabs us with these unhinged backing vocals including a scream and a metallic synth that marks impending doom. And then we get an awesome industrial interlude being a clash of sounds on “Ring Road”. It’s brief, but satisfying every time it’s there. The penultimate song, “Doves” I can see why it was one of its released singles to promote this album. It’s one of the catchiest ones with the staccato synths like “Cinderella” and it ties the whole church together with its religious overtones. It’s probably my favorite track on Pirouette. And then we get “Baton” as our closer and has some very strong song-writing to take us home. It’s closing time for these cathedral doors with these sparse church organs. It’s an appropriate ending for one that is long for loving and wanting to be loved. It’s a message for someone who gives our character meaning.

There are very few complaints I have on this album. Even on the ones that were too chill for me I enjoy their bleak song-writing. The ending even though I wish was more intense, its strong lyricism did hit home with its strong messaging.

I absolutely love this banger of a dance punk album. This album is such self-flagellation. The flogging stops when morale improves. But does it sound like this person is doing better? Or another question, do they even WANT to get better? The audience and fans are the only outlet that these prayers have reached and are also the ones that are forced to have this sensory overload. Strapped to a chair and eyes propped open like an Alex DeLarge, we are subjected to Model/Actriz’s inquisition and dance. Haden is the one doing the prayers, but why does the light seem to be on us?

FAVORITE TRACKS: VESPERS, CINDERELLA, POPPY, DIVA, DEPARTURES, AUDIENCE, RING ROAD, DOVES

LEAST FAVORITE: ACID RAIN

You can purchase this album on Bandcamp and their discography is also available for streaming.

https://modelactriz.bandcamp.com/album/pirouette