Garage-pop quartet Perfect Vessels have been working the Memphis scene for years. They’ve built a sound of clean guitar and catchy choruses stitched together with plenty of grown-up relationship subject matter. As of late they have been working off of the physical release of their newest EP Habitual Long-Distance Lovers.
The four-song effort bolsters a matured take on the role relationships play in adult life through a sort of jangly garage rock, detailed with catchy riffs and choruses. Though the boys have sought studio shelter in the past, the music for the EP was crafted in much more comfortable place.
Guitarist Graham Burks explains, “Rather than going into a studio to re-do all of our work, we got a little more serious about the craft of our home recordings and decided to release those instead. Because these songs were recorded at home over the course of a year, we were able to grab takes whenever inspiration would strike. We were able to experiment more with the arrangements.”
More than just affecting the arrangements, the abundance of space gave the Perfect Vessels the ability to stretch their sound out, encompassing a more regionally inspired release.
“Since we were working on our own timeline, we had the opportunity to arrange the songs in different ways. There are some country elements on this one, some Stax influence, and quite a few moments that refer back to our punk beginnings,” said multi-instrumentalist Aaron Brame.
The result is a relaxed EP that stands on hook-filled choruses and twangy guitars in an extended list of styles. The extent of the genres is properly laid out by a number of different instruments, a large handful of which were brought to the table by introducing Aaron Brame.
“Being a multi-instrumentalist, he expands our sound palette by adding Hammond organ, Wurlitzer electric piano, mandolin, pedal steel, and more,” said Burks.
Now with the EP under their belt, The Perfect Vessels are beginning work on a full-length due later this year.
Burks elaborates, “We ended up with 20+ songs that we were happy with. This was way more than we wanted to put into one release, so we decided to release the four song EP, Habitual Long-Distance Lovers, now, and we are planning a fall release of our full-length album.”
You can order a copy of The Perfect Vessels’ EP Habitual Long-Distance Lovers at their website.
