“Pop-rock” is a much maligned genre. Personally, I think it’s due to the common tendency to use the term as a label for bands who we’re uncertain about. Something catchy played with distortion—pop-rock. Shiny harmonies and they dress like rockstars—pop-rock. A rock band with a keyboard player—pop-rock. Well, POLSKY are all of those things and this is exactly the space they own.
Drawing from bands like Maximo Park, The Cure, Duran Duran, and Orange Juice, POLSKY has carved out a space where they marry some skronking guitar riffs and witty lyrics to some beautifully delicate moments and soaring pop choruses. Their new album My Own Company, which seems to have had its release delayed more times than Chinese Democracy, ranges from the barnstorming indie-single “Switchboard Operator,” to borderline disco track “Halcyon Daze,” to the unashamed ballad “Song for The Silver Surfer,” and all the way back again.
Chris Warren, Ben Warn, Alex Robertson, and Chris Norman display a certain musical maturity on the album. While perhaps not as edgy as Maximo Park’s A Certain Trigger or early material from The Cure, there is a great deal of confidence displayed from POLSKY as the climax of the Pink Floyd influenced “Nimbus Cumulus” builds to a euphoric release, the music rising to a tipping point before washing over the listener with its warm harmonies and reverb guitar.
Warren’s lyrics are also a highlight as they tackle issues surrounding the difficulties of navigating modern living, social media etiquette, the desire to escape the professional rat-race, and anonymous bureaucratic and societal complexities.
I was a little disappointed to not see recent free track “Minimax” on here, but it’s not like POLSKY have sacrificed the quality of their record because of it. My Own Company is a strong release which will find you dancing and contemplating the meaning of your sad, soulless, corporate life.
My Own Company is out now via PRODUCT.
