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Whilst on tour in 2023, PINKSHIFT found a fallen redwood tree whilst pausing at a pit stop between shows. The trio lay down on the trunk and stared at the leaves above them. For vocalist, Ashrita Kumar, it was an almost psychedelic experience as they felt as if the trees were inviting them to stay. That experience was a reminder of how much nature can teach us. It also inspired the band’s second album, Earthkeeper. After forming in 2019, they created pop-punk songs, and in 2020, their second single i’m gonna tell my therapist on you went viral. They released their debut album, Love Me Forever, in 2022, which covered coming of age, social media, trauma and alienation in the lyrics. But Earthkeeper is different. It has a heavier sound, seeing the band mature and grow.
Opening song Love It Here is a guitar-driven heavy rock song that serves as a perfect bridge between the band’s softer pop-punk sound and their new, mature sound. Whilst Anita Ride showcases a softer side to the band, there are still moments of heaviness, such as grungy guitars and metal screams, signalling a change in sound.
Evil Eye is when the band fully embrace their new sound. A fast-paced nu-metal song, it packs a lot into its short runtime, with lyrics about corrupt governments and a breakdown. The album isn’t completely perfect, as Don’t Fight slows the pacing down with its rock-steady pace, and whilst Patience is a brilliant grunge-rock song, it sounds a bit jarring after the whirlwind of the first few songs, although the lyrics are heart warming as they describe the power of love.
Earthkeeper is an album that sonically a bit scattered. The band are extremely talented musicians; however, their songs are constantly jumping around genres. Whilst this is not a bad thing, the problem with this album is that the trio briefly embrace a different sound before sticking to a more generic rock sound, with only a few screams or heavy guitar riffs to back them up. On the one hand, as this is the band’s second album, they are still early in their careers, and have plenty of time to improve. Furthermore, this is the first time they are changing genre, so they probably want to ease their audience in gently.
There are some very good songs towards the end of the album, such as the synth-rock Suspended, which shows off the power of Kumar‘s singing voice, the fast energy of Vacant, which picks the energy up with its high-speed rock, and closing song Something More is brilliant as it embraces the grunge-rock that has become a staple on the album.
Overall, Earthkeeper is a very good album, especially for a band who are still early in their career. It’s very admirable for PINKSHIFT to try a new sound; however, for those who were hoping for a hardcore/nu-metal sound, it might be best to look elsewhere, as the band have a few songs near the start that have the heavier sound before retreating into the safety of the grunge-rock/synth-rock sound that makes up the rest of the album. The heavier songs show a lot of promise, but there aren’t enough of them to truly establish the sound. Unfortunately, this leaves the album sounding a little disjointed, but it does even itself out by the end. Furthermore, the band have a lot of talent and their passion shines through. It’s still early in their careers, and the sky is the limit for them. This is a step in the right direction, especially if they continue building towards a heavier sound.
Rating: 7/10
Earthkeeper is out now via Hopeless Records.
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The post ALBUM REVIEW: Earthkeeper – Pinkshift appeared first on Distorted Sound Magazine.
