Album Review: The Pierces – You & I
3 min read
Alabama born and raised sister duo The Pierces first came to our attention back in 2010 when they supported fellow American songstress Lissie on her highly successful tour of the UK. We were immediately drawn into the sisters atmospheric touch on folk scented pop and haunting yet syrupy image. We were hooked with the sisters set list on the night and after many months of waiting the pair are finally set to unleash their latest record, You and I and it’s a record that helps move the duos career into more mainstream waters.
Catherine and Allison Pierce have been recording as The Pierces since the late nineties and released their self titled debut album back in 2000. Two albums and 2 EP’s later the band are now gearing up for the release of You and I.
With You and I we get to experience The Pierces in a new light. Having evolved over the past decade into more of a worldwide act the ladies of goth pop outdo themselves with a fine follow up to the March EP, You’ll Be Mine and add another sturdy eleven track selection to their growing repertoire.
The record flows like previous The Pierces releases but with a bit of a sharper edge. Opening track You’ll Be Mine is the perfect introduction to the new record. Its eerie and slightly hazy intro ushers in the sisters beautifully harmonized vocals that seem to bask gracefully within the tracks notably melodic instrumentation.
The bluesy Love You More, with its deep, grinding guitars and lead vocalist Allison’s strong vocals compliment the feel of the summer as she pleas within the chorus, ‘how can I love you more’,with utter conviction as the lyrics tell of bitterness and love torn desperation.
The following track also shows the same depth of sentiment. We Are Stars stands as one of the albums true hidden treasures. The flowing chorus of ‘I just wanna be loved by you’ represents perfectly the vocal talent that the sisters hold as they pair up to deliver a gorgeously unified chorus as well as the gift of poetic songwriting.
Following the sombre numbers, Glorious offers a little more of a punch with a track that provides some uptempo nostalgia sung sweetly and delivered in true hippie style.
Further down the record we find the standout track, Drag You Down. Beginning as a stripped back semi acoustic addition to the record a meaty drum beat enters and the song is lifted into a commercially friendly folk/pop ditty that oozes mainstream glory. Its adamant testament of ‘it’ll drag you down’ gives the number a memorable hook that keeps you tapping your feet long after you finish the record.
We here at Renowned For Sound were really impressed with You and I. The band have been around for a long time and the record that we are offered here has a more worldwide appeal to it than previous albums that the duo have released and with the increased poularity of American folk acts taking the UK by storm over the past year it seems only right that The Pierces finally get their piece of the limelight and we have no doubt that You and I will be the record to allow the pair to achieve commercial and critical success over here.
For those wanting to hear more from The Pierces, the band are set to showcase music from the new record next month when they take to the stage of London’s Bush Hall on June 15th.
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