Mates Of State

Bring It Back

[4/5] Nine years into their career, and just as many into their romantic relationship, married duo Mates Of State have hit a series of firsts on Bring It Back. It’s the pair’s first album for the tastemaking indie Barsuk, after a string of releases for the tiny Polyvinyl (and even tinier Omnibus), and their first album with Rogue Wave producer Bill Racine (who manages to make organist Kori Gardner and drummer Jason Hammel’s vocals sound simultaneously both more lo-fi and incredibly clearer than ever in tracks such as “Think Long”). But most importantly, it’s the couple’s first album since the birth of their daughter in mid-2004. It’s obvious the child had an effect on the band’s songwriting, with maturity beating out playfulness: Bouncier tracks such as “Fraud In The ’80s” and “For The Actor” are less over-the-top than the similarly energetic cuts on 2003’s Team Boo, and the 10-song disc’s true moments of beauty come in the balladry of “Like U Crazy” and “Nature And The Wreck.” While some fans may miss the seemingly spontaneous lyricism of preceding albums, the proud parents in Mates Of State’s fanbase will most surely connect with lines such as “I just want to feel the taste of the meal/and not the routine of dining here,” from “Beautiful Dreamer.”
(BARSUK) Scott Heisel



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