by David Wilikofsky
The term “pinch point” refers to a common mechanical hazard: the place where one or more objects move towards each other, crushing anything that comes in-between them. It also happens to be one of the most incredibly apt band names I’ve come across in recent memory. Pinch Points are a Melbourne four piece who pair jangly post punk melodies with razor sharp lyrics that are as lethal as their namesake, eviscerating all targets caught in their crosshairs. While their sophomore album, Process, isn’t a radical evolution from anything that came before it, it represents the band’s most refined and focused statement to date.
Pinch Points exist in an alternate universe where weirdo midwest punk acts like The Coneheads or Uranium Club became international superstars; aside from an instantly identifiable guitar tone and vocals hovering between speaking and singing, these groups share a biting, sardonic sense of humor. Process doesn’t represent a radical sonic shift so much as a sharpening of this basic toolset. At times, their previous album, Moving Parts, had a lo-fi, almost muddy quality to it; vocals and instrumentals seemed to lose their definition around the edges, blurring into one another. The cleaner production of Process allows everything to hit harder: lyrics are clearer, riffs cut deeper, basslines anchor steadier. It’s a subtle change, but one that propels the group to greater heights than ever before.
Opener “Reasons To be Anxious” serves as both a perfect encapsulation of the band’s strengths and the theme song sufferers of anxiety disorders never knew they needed, lurching forward with the unstoppable force of a panic attack. Nearly everything seems to trigger that familiar feeling in the narrator: reading the news, global warming, taking vacation, going to therapy to treat their anxiety. Both side-splittingly funny and uncomfortably relatable, it’s a pitch perfect encapsulation of the band’s particular brand of unhinged rock. Though they set their sights on plenty of other targets throughout the album (the police, the commodification of personal information, bushfires caused by our rapidly warming planet), their most successful songs follow this same basic formula: one liners and unsavory truths delivered in the same breath, all while teetering on the edge of oblivion.
It’s not all doom and gloom though; tracks like “Am I Okay?” and “Relentlessly Positive” serve as affirmations of self worth amidst the chaos. These songs encourage the listener to pause and take stock of their feelings, prioritizing self care and reminding each listener of their own intrinsic value. While these songs would easily come off as saccharine in a different context, the earnestness feels earned in these surroundings. These moments show the human hearts beating at the center of the band; though there’s plenty they are angry about, Process also is a work of deep empathy, never forgetting all the anxiety and suffering detailed in their songs is a shared experience. Pinch Points are a band that intimately understand the complex reality we all face by merely waking up in the morning, and Process is one of the few albums I’ve heard this year that perfectly encapsulates it.