Quarter-note chords banged out on a piano, strummed hollow-bodied electric guitar, sweet vocal harmonies, handclaps, witty and self-deprecating lyrics, and a soaring melody delivered by a singer with attitude to burn: is this a lost track from the British Invasion? No, it’s Porter Block, a New York City band with a knack for a tune and absolute faith in the pop-rock verities. For the past two decades, they’ve been a constant source of effervescent, energetic, marvelously written guitar pop songs simultaneously reminiscent of the best of the classic era, the new wave’s sprightliness, and the power-pop revival’s crunch. “If You See Eulene” is Porter Block at the band’s giddiest and most irresistible.
Which is a bit of an irony, since the song is a reaction to an act of resistance. “If You See Eulene” is an open, if indirect, apology to a woman who has stopped returning the singer’s calls. Lead singer Peter Block knows he’s bugged his friend, but he doesn’t know how to repair the relationship. He’s willing to concede that he’s at fault, but he doesn’t have much hope that he can change who he is. Block sounds resigned, and maybe a little miffed too — though it’s unclear whether he’s angry at Eulene, or angry at himself.
The Porter Block Extended Play follows the dazzling Clean Up Your Living Room, the band’s seventh album, and a forceful, outspoken, delightfully tuneful set praised by the independent press. Though the 2021 project is undeniably fun, it’s also something of a survivor’s tale: Peter Block had been hospitalized with a mysterious ailment that deprived him of the use of his hands. He’s fought through that misfortune and emerged with an irrepressible will to rock. “If You See Eulene” is an upbeat stomper, but if fans listen carefully, they can sense the undercurrent of darkness and anxiety that runs through all of the material Block has recorded since his ordeal.
Peter Block is at the center of Monique “The Infamous HER” Staffile’s throwback performance video for “If You See Eulene.” The director surrounds the pop-rock singer and songwriter with beautiful women in dresses suggestive of Mary Quant and sets them dancing. Block moves to the beat, too, and interacts with the girls around him, but you can tell he’s haunted by his regrets. As the dancers point Super-8 cameras at Block and his bandmates, he registers a heartfelt confession. “We used to be friends,” he sings of Eulene, directly into the lens, determined to get his message through.
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