Pessimist Frown - Thanks For Your Ears

Pessimist Frown

Thanks For Your Ears
​self-released; 2022

3.7 out of 5

By Jamie Funk

Pessimist Frown is an artist from Great Yarmouth, UK who recently released Thanks For Your Ears. The artist has a familiar story where he was in a band, they broke up and he decided to release solo work. This is a stripped back release that revolves around acoustic guitar and vocals. 

The first song is entitled “Social Fire” and the production is lo-fi but also reminded me of one my favorite musical acts - The Microphones. It’s a little over a minute long. The vocals are slightly off key here and there but that’s some of the charm.

“Brother Sisyphus” contains a couple guitars and there’s some solid lead work. One thing about this song I appreciated is that it seems to revolve around The Myth of Sisyphus by Albert Camus which is one of my favorite essays. Solid song.

“Autumn Cheer” was a little distorted and raw. It sounded similar to early recordings from Neutral Milk Hotel. It’s a straightforward song like many of the others revolving around minor and major chords but was also one of the highlights. The philosophical underpinnings continue with lines like “There is something that gives meaning / What that is I'm trying to find / Everything appears so clear / Almost as clear as autumn cheer.”

I have to wonder if “Oh! Alcohol” is about alcoholism. That was at least my interpretation of the song. Despite the depressing title “Always Alone” felt sort of chipper and upbeat. I thought this song had some of the catchiest vocal melodies. However “Personal Hell” is just as personal as it sounds with lyrics like “It’s so hard to yell / Buried in this hell / Choking on blood and leaves / I’ve forgotten how to breathe.”

“Someone Else's Dream” was one of the highlights although the distortion felt a little overboard to me on this song. The other highlight was “Fragments of a Dream'' which contained memorable melodies and solid wordplay.

Musically, there’s not too much going on. I think some more instrumentation sprinkled in may have helped. I will say the distortion he implements does help with variation.

​Overall, I thought this was a heartfelt album that tried to capture a lot of the thoughts and feelings we have about meaning and the world around us. The honesty comes through and is a factor in why this is an enjoyable listen. Recommended.

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