Local old-school indie quartet the Summer Pledge both streamline their sound and toughen it up a bit on their second full-length Vessels. The band’s instrumentation is lushly crafted, with judiciously applied guitar effects and dramatic, often heavy use of the rhythm section. Dustin McLaughlin’s emotionally angsty vocals can be a bit much at times–although that’s coming from a critic who’s never much enjoyed emo vocal style in general, so no discredit to McLaughlin in particular. On less agitated tracks like “Suspended By Sunbeams” and “Through the Vessels,” the expansive, shimmering guitar soundscapes are remarkable.
Worth a Listen: “Suspended By Sunbeams”
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