by David Wilikofsky
Without hearing a note, you can easily guess what type of music Ribbon Stage play. The cover art of their debut album, Hit With The Most, is a clear homage to the artwork on The Shop Assistant’s sole LP, and their sound follows from there: songs that land somewhere between twee and noise pop, sweetly sung lyrics laced with acidity, consummate musical skill masked as primitive amateurism. Their last release, 2020’s My Favorite Shrine, hinted at the promise of the band; Hit With The Most proves that Ribbon Stage are making indie pop at a higher level than nearly anyone else today.
Ribbon Stage are a cut above your average revivalist because they intuitively understand the delicate balancing act required to pull this sort of music off. Though there’s plenty of feedback laced dissonance, it’s never enough to drown out the melodies at the heart of their songs. Their vocals hover on the edge of audibility, the darkness at the songs’ core leaping out with a suddenly clear turn of phrase. The rhythm section stays on point throughout, providing a crucial anchor to grasp onto. Though they aren’t breaking any new musical ground here, what they make is out of time and pretty much the platonic ideal of this genre. Hit With The Most is a pitch perfect debut, a record that can and will stand easily alongside those of their heroes.