This review was written in response to a submission to BDCwire’s “Review Anything August” campaign. The opinions in this review are those solely of the author and not of BDCwire as a publication. Stay tuned to BDCwire for more reviews from this feature.
This EP was far more enjoyable than I would have guessed. Any band that still uses CD Baby, I tend to assume is aiming to target dad-rockers or people who get their music from the library (get on Bandcamp, my friends). Lead track “Solace,” although rough around the edges, is a pretty spectacular pop song. By the time the honey-drop guitar break rolls around, it feels as though the tune has enough four-chord jangle to have been on the “Pete & Pete” soundtrack. That, mixed with a vocal dynamic that meets the harmonies of the Indigo Girls and the nonchalance of Liz Phair halfway, makes for a pretty sentimental but cheerful listen. Powderhouse could do itself a big favor by investing in some more quality production. Each of its instruments could stand to sound less like a track on garageband and more like a singular ball of clay. Jankiness aside, Powderhouse shows pop rock promise in a pleasantly surprising way.
