“Born in the 90s, never left.” So reads the Bandcamp page of New Orleans-based trio Pope, and anyone familiar with the band’s sound will understand the sentiment. Consisting of Alejandro Skalany, Matthew Seferian and Atticus Lopez, Pope has been putting out bittersweet, nineties-inflected tunes since 2013, culminating in 2017 with the outstanding full-length album True Talent Champion on Louisianna’s Community Records.
This month saw Pope return with The Lunchbox EP, their first proper release since True Talent Champion, and the new songs live up to the precedent in both quality and style. The sunny riffs of opener ‘Lucky’ immediately pull the listener into a simpler, fonder time. “I feel lucky now,” goes the the chorus, what could have been the mantra for those us raised happy in the pre-millennium prosperity. But with the sentiment comes its own complication. Some awareness, however distant or ironic, that things are prone to change.
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‘BBQ’ is suitably sweet and spicy, the lazy meandering introduction possessing an almost whimsical air before the vocals add a smoky undertone. The halfway point sees the real counter punch, the track developing jagged edges and a driving momentum before settling back into its easy flow once more. The short and scuzzy ‘6/11’ is hazier but no less peppy, while ‘Goose’ blows out your speakers with a triumphant energy.
The most reflective track on the record, ‘Something Good’ takes the ebb and flow structure and goes to town. Its slow, sprawling sound finds moments of subdued nostalgia punctuated with noisy crescendos. The style is Pope’s forte, harnessing both the bright excitement of the nineties and strange sense of loss it introduced. An awareness perhaps that things couldn’t stay so good, or be that good at all.
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The Lunchbox EP is out now and available from the Pope Bandcamp page.
Artwork by Ann Escamilla