You Can Make Hamburger Yourself
Aagoo, 2021
8/10
Listen to You Can Make Hamburger Yourself
The debut album from the Tokyo songwriters Mitsuomi and Haruka, as Pess they craft some irresistible rock’n’roll tunes that sound like they could have been penned from the ‘60s on, and the electronic moments sure do add even more appeal.
The title track starts the listen with dense fuzz and thumping drums as harmonic singing gives the opener a pop edge amid the swirling melody, and “Dream Spin” follows with a dance-friendly energy that’s upbeat and certainly indebted to ‘80s New Wave.
Packed in the middle, “Roller Coaster” is full of a tuneful, punk spirit that benefits much from playful drumming and driving guitar work, while “Hieroglyph” points towards the ‘90s alt-rock scene mixed with electro-pop and is delivered with plenty of creativity.
“Pixel”, a late album highlight, uses synthetic drumming amid a calm, dreamy landscape and “Throw It Away” exits the listen with a very melodic version of synth-rock meets bright brass and soaring vocal harmonies.
An outfit that bonded over their adoration of Citrus, you’ll also hear similarities to Peel Dream Magazine, The Big Moon or even Shonen Knife across You Can Make Hamburger Yourself, and it makes for a brief but very lively first album.