Grass Widow - Past Time LP

Label: HLR Records

“... Grass Widow joins a slew of recent DIY post-punk revivalist groups—Vivian Girls, the Bitters, Crocodiles—but the band’s loose, meandering guitars and colorful vocals bring something new to the scene. Formed in 2007 from the remnants of the band Shitshorm after drummer Frankie Rose moved on to Vivian Girls, Grass Widow’s three members share vocal duties, and the voices range from child-like to choir-ready, making for a delivery that can be harmonious when it needs to be, but is just as interesting when it isn’t.

“Hannah Lew (bass), Raven Mahon (guitar), and Lillian Maring (drums) each seem to represent a different set of emotions with their voices—say, timid and shy, sad and mournful, and strong and bitter—as if they’re performing three different dramatic parts. This probably isn’t their intention, but the mix of tones is nonetheless a powerful complement to the textures played out on their three instruments, and the vocals add a distinctive pop element to the post-punk roots of the music. It’s a sound in keeping with Grass Widow’s self-titled debut, released last year on the small label Make a Mess (and followed by an EP on Captured Tracks last August). Those songs, few of which clocked in over three minutes, feature the same raw, disjointed guitar patterns, call-and-response vocals, sashaying, tambourine-driven rhythms, and delightful, quick-shifting harmonies that sometimes sound centuries-old. The band gets an improved production quality on Past Time, but it’s still bare-bones, with no dramatic effects added in the studio.” —Pitchfork