Album Review: The Pierces – Creation
3 min read
When you’ve been surrounded by the arts for a significant amount of time in your life, you’re bound to create something worthwhile; this is the case with Alabama originating sister act, The Pierces. The pair made their debut after a friend submitted a mix tape of theirs to a Nashville based record company, a notion that would evolve into the production and release of their initial self-titled effort in 2010; their second album Light Of The Moon was a continuation of the folk/rock influence present in the duo’s songwriting style. The time around the release of their third album Thirteen Tales of Love and Revenge was the coming of a breakthrough, The Pierces appeared twice on the popular TV series Gossip Girl playing their songs Secret and Three Wishes; Secret was used in a promo for hit TV series Dexter and is also the theme song of another TV show Pretty Little Liars. Their fourth album You & I saw the pair travel the UK, playing at the mega Glastonbury Festival in 2011 and supporting Coldplay at the iTunes Festival; and now the wait for their fifth album is over, Creation is upon us!
The album’s title-track Creation kicks things off, staying true to their folk/storytelling roots with an ounce of pop; an edginess resonates from lead single Kings, a powerful song about taking the reigns to make a change between two people. I Can Feel forgets the pop for a little while, yet manages to remain just as atmospheric and memorable as the last two tracks; second single Believe In Me has an indie/pop feel, the vocal hums make you feel warm and fuzzy and the melody is, plain and simply, nice. The guitar riff in Come Alive enables the track to do just that, spicing up the life of the album along with the sisterly melodies and harmonies that sound a little like Lana Del Ray (or does Lana channel The Pierces?); Honest Man continues with the indie/folk/rock sound we have had the pleasure of experiencing so far.
Must Be Something is a smooth, melancholic pop number with a wonderful melody and atmospheric harmonies; the same could be said for Elements, and the tambourine adds a nice touch to the arrangement to hit the spot. The heavier beat resonating through Monsters drives the message home, the impact of the drums is almost that of fear in your heart when there are dangers all around; The Devil Is A Lonely Night is another catchy pop track you’ll have in your head for some time. By the time Confidence In Love comes along, you enjoy it but can’t help thinking that the overall sound of the album doesn’t change to an extent, it needs a little something; The One I Want is no exception. Flesh and Bone gives us a break from the recycled folk/pop shindig and is a nice little pop ballad, a finer way to end the album.
Creation delivers a wondrously luscious sound with intriguing melodies and loveable harmonies; The Pierces have a knack for songwriting and storytelling, the two sisters compliment each other in writing and in practice. At times, although each track was appealing, the album didn’t experiment a lot with different sounds and came across as a tad repetitive. All in all, Creation is a beautiful record and will be a hit among fans and folk/poppers alike; there’s some work here that The Pierces should be proud of adding to their existing stellar catalogue.
