Hang A Star
á La Carte, 2025
9/10
The San Diego outfit, Pleasure Pill, make an impression with this debut album that all anglophiles should be paying attention to, as the quintet find themselves knee deep in Brit-rock.
“Favorite Color Gold” gets the listen off to a swirling start, where Ethan Paz’s playful rhythm guitar and Dom Friedly’s drumming acrobatics suit frontman Jonah Paz’s flowing voice, and “So Long” follows with a more muscular mood, where dense guitar and Ivan Delgado’s strategic bass won’t go unnoticed.
“My Way To You” occupies the middle spot and showcases lush melodies and plenty of melody, while “Get There Soon” carries a bouncy energy that you could dance to and certainly should sing-along to.
Close to the end, “Wonder How” benefits from Luke Blake’s intricate guitar amid Jonah’s expressive pipes and “Don’t Fly Away” exits with the precise rhythm section and colorful guitars emitting timeless rock qualities.
Far from being another Oasis imposter band, Pleasure Pill flirt with garage and psychedelic ideas across a strong first album that hints at the ‘90s but is still very modern.
Travels well with: Spunsugar- A Hole Forever; Low-Res- Darfor