The New Jersey rockers have returned with their first album of the decade. Cameron Gibbs finds out what they can bring to the 2020s
A desire path is the term used to describe the shortcuts between footpaths that are worn into the ground by waves of people constantly deciding to shave off a few seconds of their journey. Screaming Females have every reason to associate themselves with this concept on their new album, Desire Pathway. The band has stuck with the same indie label, Don Giovanni Records, for about fifteen years, and their new crop of songs have been swirling in the creative ether since before the pandemic. No statement could reflect more the band’s evident belief in themselves and their music, and Desire Pathway portrays nothing other than the result of nearly two decades of three friends forging their sound.
Brass Bell, lead single and opening track of the album, should be treated as an overture to the albums many strengths. The song is a perfect slice of garage rock, with interlocking sections of punchy riffs and soaring vocals. The groove that forms after the second chorus has an Iron Maiden-esque melodic line playing over a rhythm enforcing the offbeats, exemplifying the tight adventurous interplay amongst the band. The production style is also great and representative of the album as a whole, opting to provide weight that accentuates the energy of a DIY band rather than adding a false sense scale. Overdubbing (recording multiple tracks for one instrument) is use judiciously to introduce new melodic ideas or strengthen key sections, and the thin crunch of the guitar tone means that even when it is doubled up the bass still kicks through with urgency. There’s a great deal of playfulness too, with a swirling arpeggiator drowning in its own fuzz, to the intense increase in volume at the song’s end as Marissa Paternoster (vocals, guitar) repeats “it's too loud”. Brass Bell establishes that Screaming Females know how to make the most of their small scale.
Of the rest of the songs, the range of genres that are comfortably delved into are tied together by that titular theme of desire, exploring beyond the basics of love into admissions of anxiety, loss, and confusion. Beyond the Void is an album highlight, with its 12/8 swinging rhythm and supernatural allusions evoking a folk song about a want for vulnerability and understanding from another and from yourself. To some degree this want is fulfilled by So Low, which allows Paternoster the chance for a rare moment of quiet contemplation among the otherwise intense compositions of the bands discography. She sings of struggling to reconcile her own low self-worth with her ability to be loved by others; accompanied by only her guitar, this sparse song is beautiful, and probably would have been a more poignant foot to end the album on.
"...a gloriously honest album that swiftly guides the listener through persistent ear worms and soaring performances."
Regarding more traditional rock performances, Screaming Females prove their expertise in deceptive simplicity, integrating rich veins of musicality into familiar song forms. There is much to be said about the abilities of Paternoster. Even more engaging than her skill in laying enticing melodic lines over catchy guitar riffs is her voice, a full commanding tone that modulates in strange and mesmerising ways. Mourning Dove exemplifies well how Paternoster controls her vocals, especially the vibrato on “require,” which tickles the brain like a pronged head massager. Perhaps in some choruses there is a certain level of force missing behind her delivery, but it is difficult not to get swept up in her unique voice otherwise.
Backing this commanding frontwoman is Mike “King Mike” Abbate on bass and Jarrett Dougherty on drums, both as deserving of the highest praise. The nickname King Mike feels entirely earned, placing little runs in the perfect places, and grooving in complexity (see It’s All Said and Done) or simplicity (see Brass Bell) with clear knowledge on how bass guitar is supposed to elevate a song. Dougherty too plays with great awareness, never splashing out on fills, never filling necessary dead space, always driving the song with flair – the grungy pulse of Let You Go highlights this best. It is no surprise this well-seasoned outfit are so spatially aware of each other’s musical strengths.
Desert Train and Ornament are two more tracks that delve into other genres, namely the worlds of gritty pop punk and anthemic rock respectively. Both are solid tunes but represent one of the most frustrating weaknesses to plague any album, that being a lack of strong endings. At least half the songs on Desire Pathway trail off on one chord, a dissipation of energy and emotion that undermines the work done by 95% of the rest of the song. This is felt most on the album closer Titan, an otherwise enjoyable scrappy rock number that feels like it finishes before its final act. Instead of a triumphant high or a pensive low the album just kind of ends, leaving the listener with a strange feeling of absence – less a desire for more, rather a confusion as to where it even went.
While the band must be praised for the engaging qualities they bring to traditional song formulas, these weak endings are symbolic of parts of the album that feel undercooked. It’s All Said and Done is guilty of this, coming across as only a collection of verses that, while musically competent, build to nowhere. A similar passion is lacking throughout Let Me Into Your Heart, which tethers itself to a foundational riff too simplistic to excite any great feeling. As this song has an excellent middle section, and one of the albums strongest endings, with a filter disfiguring the drums leading to an ethereal vocal lament, it is particularly aggravating that its core is somewhat monotonous. For a project that has been in the works since the before the pandemic, cracks such as these should really have been filled in.
Are these imperfections a sign of Screaming Females starting to go through the motions? To answer this, you only need to think about Desire Pathway as a whole; a gloriously honest album that swiftly guides the listener through persistent ear worms and soaring performances. It is a journey they know well, a path forged by two decades of rejecting industry standards and reluctance to settle in their own artistic space. So long as they endeavour this way, Screaming Females can only travel from strength to strength.
Edited by: Ali Glen
Photos courtesy of Screaming Females' Instagram. Video courtesy of Don Giovanni Records on YouTube
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