Hi, everyone. Dishthony Washtano here, the internet's busiest music nerd. It's time for a review of this new Model/Actriz record, Pirouette.

Here we have the new and second full-length record from East Coast music outfit, Model/Actriz, who very much have had my attention going as far back as 2020 with the release of early singles such as "Suntan" and "Damocles", tracks that showcased a really sharp and exciting combination of noise rock and dance punk with a bit of a no-wave edge. The sound of these tracks were unnerving and eerie, but also endlessly danceable at the same time, not to mention all of the eccentric vocalizations and spoken word passages of frontman Cole Haden.

But yes, the band's eventual debut, Dogsbody, really saw them breaking through on the indie circuit, gaining a very passionate cult following. And while the record was a little one-dimensional, in my opinion, it was really, really, really good at the abrasive, groove-laden chaos that it specialized in.

Now, for the most part, the band pretty much sticks to their guns on this new LP here, Pirouette. But also, I think they're successfully finding ways to broaden out their sound a little bit and actually start nailing the sorts of ballads and slow burners that I think Dogsbody sounded so awkward attempting.

Let's start with not a single from this record, but a deep cut, the track "Acid Rain", which I think exemplifies exactly that, which is this twinkling rock ballad that I think showcases the whimsy of a band such as Wild Beasts, while also bringing to the table the despondent moodiness that a group like Xiu Xiu specializes in. Between the dour chord progressions and lumbering beats and Cole Haden's subtle but very tense vibrato. The band is conjuring a lot of magic with only a few elements in the mix. It's just great to hear the band pull together a track that is as strong and as captivating as those moments where they are just bringing a cavalcade of percussion and guitar noises.

And with that being said, I think there are numerous other moments on the record where the band does bring more of a trademark Model/Actriz sound with all of these propulsive visceral grooves. But still, even these cuts are taking a slightly more melodic approach, like with the opening track, "Vespers", which once again brings that very recognizable, super tight series of kick drums and guitar and bass, which honestly sounds like the turning gears of a nightmare machine in my mind.

And as freaky as it is, simultaneously, the sounds it generates are just so... I get whipped up in them. But yes, I'm loving that trademark Model/Actriz sound on this track. But simultaneously, I think Cole Haden's haunting croons on this track, too, bring the song so much accessibility. "In all the lights it you" – which he hits as the instrumental coasts out into a passage that honestly is just dying for a techno remix or maybe even It sounds like something from HEALTH's early stuff.

The band's getting a bit more melodic on the track, "Cinderella", too, which is not only one of the most interesting tracks on the record lyrically due to what reads like maybe a bit of oversharing during a tense date or first meeting of some sort. But also, again, we have a really solid melodic hook, too. If you're looking for the more abrasive side of model actress, they certainly do bring that on "Poppy". I think the guitars and drums take on more of an industrial tone there.

But "Diva", following that, sees the band once again getting into songwriting that I think is a bit sweeter and more accessible in some respects. Maybe I'll say bittersweet instead because there is a sadness and a darkness and a yearning to the storytelling on this track, too. As Cole tells the tale of a situation where he is seemingly skipping rehearsal, meeting up with somebody, a guy who he describes as gay, but he says simultaneously he has a girlfriend. And while there is some connection and release in meeting each other and potentially hooking up, simultaneously, there's something depressing about all this because he wishes he had a home to take this person to and wants more of a life for not just him and this person, but himself, too. One that, compared to how he's living now, is maybe more stable and consistent and open.

Which are themes that continue on to the "Headlights" interlude, which is more or less a spoken word passage, where Cole details a coming out story to a young female friend of his. He has a crush on one of her friends, but basically it's unrequited, and this causes him to feel a lot of insecurity and internalize a lot of hate.

Moving on from there into the second half of the record, I feel like as great as some of the moves that Model/Actriz are making on this album are, I think the main shortcoming of this LP, too, is maybe a bit of a lack of versatility because we do get more instrumentals that, to me, in terms of their build, those stuttering guitars, the approach to percussion, it does feel like I'm getting deja vu, especially as we hit a track like "Departures".

Meanwhile, "Ring Road", I think, is handily the most abrasive and noisy track on the entire album, but the lack of length and build and progression and structure on that one leaves the ending a little ungratifying. Still, though, I do love "Audience", even though it is similar to a lot of what is on the rest of this record, mostly for the unhinged inner monologue that Cole brings to the table as he seems whipped up in this very intense fantasy of of being by himself and yet performing, practicing, going through the motions of this elaborate display in his head and essentially imagining being punished on some level if the performance doesn't go over well. I think the storytelling here could be interpreted in a lot of ways, but the intensity is certainly clear here.

Now, "Doves", I think, contributes to some pretty strong final moments here. We have more impeccably tight beats, one of the strongest hooks, too. I also love the way the guitars work on this one. Sometimes the notes are very stiff and staccato. During other moments, they're ringing out as if someone's like, knob twisting on an analog synthesizer. Like as raw and as rough and organic as some of the instrumentation on this record is, there is something simultaneously about it that feels so electronic. But yes, I'm also really digging Cole's vivid poetry on this track in relation to the rapture and doves and angels and so on and so forth.

After this, we have "Baton", which is a surprisingly warm closer. Definitely a softer moment on the album that I think goes over really well and also ties up a lot of the records themes of loss of childhood, of innocence, the loss of friendly connections, too. A great deal of this album seems to be nostalgic for a time in the past when things were just easier, simpler, less personally and emotionally complicated, which I'm sure can be a relatable feeling for many digging into this album.

But yeah, overall, I came away from this record mighty impressed, once again. Model/Actriz has done it twice, and in my opinion, really sidestepped that sophomore slump curse, if you want to call it that. The tracks that feel like they fit very squarely into the expectations I had for the band, hit hard. Meanwhile, we have other cuts where they really do embrace more melodic, sweeter sounds and instrumental palettes and melodies and still come across very dark and moody, idiosyncratic and intriguing, which is why I'm feeling a strong 8 on this new album from Model/Actriz.

Anthony Fantano, Model/Actriz, Forever.