It`s been widely reported that “Received Pronunciation” will be the last release from Boston trio Pants Yell! And that’s a shame. This isn’t just the passing of another three piece, but the passing of a language of sorts. At nine songs and twenty-seven minutes long, “Received Pronunciation” creates a warm resonance. Each three minute slice of simplistic yet perfect afternoon pop wreaks of a certain honesty that vocalist/guitarist Andrew Churchman’s songwriting has long been renowned for. Listening to “Received Pronunciation” is oddly akin to talking to an old friend; not everything discussed is totally memorable or noteworthy, but the comfort and affability attained with ease is something you wouldn’t trade for all the tea in Tennessee.
Churchman’s voice harbours no guilt or remorse, despite the fact that this might be his swan song. Tracks like the jangly, vibrating “Got To Stop” can be heard as rather acerbic upon first listen, but you realize soon afterwards that Churchman’s precise songwriting owes much to his literate and honest approach. There’s a decidedly lo-fi feel throughout “Received Pronunciation,” one that is palpable on the Sloan-esque “Someone Loves You.” Listening to Churchman is at times intoxicating and meandering at once, but all the while, his patient, inobtrusive brand of guitar-pop leaves you listening as if your best friend was on the back porch beside you. And if this really is the end of Pants Yell! then we ought to be happy for those times we were able to share.
By Joshua Kloke