Porches - "The Room"

Porches is a New York Synth Pop project, masterminded by Aaron Maine.  Now, when I first heard these guys on their 2013 debut "Slow Dance in the Cosmos", I really didn't know what to think.  There were elements of Dream Pop and TONS of influence in Low-Fi Pop.  But there was this great, almost Mark Kozeleck level of songwriting that really drew me in very nicely.  Obviously, Aaron's very syrupy vocals aren't going to be for everyone, and this album's tone often changes rapidly and out of nowhere.  But for some seriously interesting, artsy Synth Pop, give this album a listen.  Now, 2016's "Pool" was a much MUCH more straightforward album for Porches.  There weren't nearly as many detours this time around, and this was a straightforward Synth-Pop album.  But Aaron's very gloomy breakup lyrics, as well as this almost Chill-Wave style of production, gave this a unique sound for modern Synth-Pop.  "Pool" may be a very synthetic album at its core, but it's also incredibly filled with emotion.  I do have to have to say though, while I enjoyed a great chunk of this album, it's low points like "Pool" and "Hour" are pretty low.  Now, it's been a year or so since Porches have given us new material.  And these new singles have been really interesting, seemingly bringing in more of an Electronic/Dance element than ever.  But Porches still have a very wide, vast sound that I can't wait to see what they do with.  Let's chat about this!

This album starts off with “Leave The House”.  It’s a very haunting intro, between this very ice and un-inviting synth melody, as well as Aarons’s very airy and haunting vocals.  Obviously, Aaron isn’t the most exciting singer in the world.  But he makes up for that with enough good ideas and great lyrics.  This track ends up getting a really solid groove going, but I can’t get over how unnerving this is in a weird way, between those ghoulish backing vocals that are really out there.   It’s a weird intro, but Porches make it work.  Then we have “Find Me”, one of the most telling and immediate tunes here.  I love the sense of Paranoia in Aaron’s lyrics that end up going really well with the very synthetic feel of this one.  But let’s talk about the elephant in the room, just how far Aaron has dipped his hands into the world of Synth Pop.  Porches have been primarily a Synth based project since day one, but never has Aaron got so dangerously close to modern Dance and Electronic music.  I do have to say though, there’s no need to fear because Porches really makes “Find Me” work.  While I wasn’t completely sold on the intro to this album, I’m so much more comfortable with this sound.  It’s catchy, and you’re damn right it has a great Dance groove, but Aaron never sounds out of his comfort zone.  It’s also just as gloomy, which gives this a really interesting flair.  Now, while Aaron really doesn’t have the most stunning voice, it’s moments like “Understanding” that make Porches really click.  I love his very poetic and downright romantic lyrics here, even set among this very bare backdrop.  I love some of the vocal effects he dips into as well, James Blake fans will really catch on to this one.  “Understanding” may only pop in for a minute, but it leaves enough of an impact.  “Now The Water” is up next, and it’s honestly the sound that I was expecting to hear from Porches on this album.  Aaron’s performances on this album so far have been pretty low-key, but I’m totally into his more passionate performances here, even if it is a bit airy.  Obviously, this isn’t as danceable as “Find Me”, but it works for Porches, and I really can’t say enough nice things about Aaron’s passionate performance.  Once again, I feel like Aaron’s very poetic and visual lyrics may not be for everyone.  But I find them seriously romantic and beautiful.  Porches do remain sort of a “love or hate” project, but something about “Now The Water” really warms my heart.  But it’s moments like “Country” on the other hand that worry me about Porches.  Aaron’s performance on a few tracks here, often get close to the realm of boring, and tracks like this are a big problem.  I’m always down for a more low-key instrumental.  But this one is INCREDIBLY dull.  Aaron’s performance while it’s still lyrically satisfying is just so boring.  This was 2 minutes of filler I didn’t need. 

    “By My Side” however overall is so much more in the right direction.  Instantly. this one is much more passionate of an instrumental while it remains on the slower side.  But here, Aaron starts an idea and finishes it nicely.  It’s a weird sort of Synth-Ballad that I can’t stress enough, is probably going to go either way with people.  But I continue to really think Aaron is really on to something with Porches.  I love some of his introspective and thoughtful lyrics, as well as some of the very chilled out production.  In a lot of ways, this reminds me a whole lot of the last Toro Y Moi album.  In a few ways, there almost is a little ChillWave feel here, but Aaron uses it nicely.  However, Porches do need to be incredibly careful with short interludes like “Åkeren”.  Most of these interludes really don’t go anywhere, and sort of just trying to desperately connect some thoughts.  But that’s not what we get on “Åkeren”.  Here, we just get a halfway decent beat that Aaron could have done something more interesting with, and these seemingly French vocals over it that come off incredibly cliche.  Moments like this make me worry about the future of Porches.  Tracks like “Anymore” however take all of those worries away, being the perfect balance of the Porches sound.  I love the synth beat here which is dangerously close to sounding mainstream.  It’s solid though, and I wouldn’t be surprised if Aaron eventually did some production for a more mainstream artist.  Obviously, the use of autotune on “Anymore” is going to alienate some, but I really love the way it gives this track such a lonely sound.  Some of the beat shifts here are seriously wild and exciting, and I can’t remember the last time I heard Porches sounding so colorful.  “Anymore” is a hell of a tune, and is a serious standout of the album.  If you weren’t up and moving with some of the early tunes, you will be after this one.  But Aaron’s consistency remains a problem.  Tracks like “Wobble” come off more awkward and weird than anything.  I have no problem whatsoever with Porches going for a more flushed out instrumental sound, it worked for him years ago on “Slow Dance In The Cosmos”.  But “Wobble” is incredibly boring and painfully cheesy.  The instrumental goes nowhere, and Aaron comes off uninspired.  Not to mention, some of the late instrumentals are just so messy.  “Goodbye” is a slight improvement, with Aaron’s playing at the very least coming off passionate.  But the instrumental as a whole is all over the place, with Aaron trying to so much in.  Eventually, “Goodbye” does come into its own with some very punchy beats and some anthemic keyboards.  It’s an alright tune and all, but I really feel like this one could have been simplified. 

    Some of these later tracks, however, are surprisingly satisfying.  “Swimmer” for one is just so bare, mostly being quiet instrumentals and Aaron’s auto-tuned somber vocals.  But it ends up coming off so strong.  However, why the hell is this track so short?  It’s 50 seconds long, barely being an interlude, but it has better ideas than half of the rest of the album!  The more I listen to this album, the more I feel like I’m listening to a really downtrodden and emotional ChillWave album.  Aaron makes it work though, and his very monotonous and dreary vocals on “W Longing” work really well.  It’s a straightforward tune, but it still has that very vast and emotional sound of Porches.  It’s a dreary tune, and Aaron’s very visual, poetic lyrics bring the mood down even more.  But altogether, “W Longing” is great and it really works well for Porches.  And while yes, this isn’t nearly as genre-bending as some of Porch's early work, it’s still very likable.  Plus, that very jazzy breakdown towards the end is a really nice touch, Aaron.  But once again, Porches has to be seriously careful with some of these softer tunes, like “Ono”.  While originally I sort of dug the way this track branches out into some more Indie Pop sounds, this performance just isn’t as solid all around. Aaron’s performance isn’t nearly as emotional, but it’s times like this that I totally get why people say his singing at times is just so emotionless.  Once again, I do like that pulsating beat int he back, but it’s horribly out of place.  Even when all of that wonky production comes in, I just can’t keep my head up listening to this one.  But, for some of the softer sounds that Porches have to offer, this album’s finale “Anything U Want” has is one of the best here.  Aaron just sounds so damn lonely and distant, and it makes his seemingly romantic lyrics just come off so much more powerful.  It’s a haunting tune, and this is seriously a route I’d love to hear him go down more.  

Rating: 7.9/10




Give A Listen To: “Find Me”, “Now The Water”, “Anymore”, "W Longing"




Genre: Synth Pop / Electronic / Indie Rock / Dream Pop 




Overall Thoughts:  I really wanted to like this album more than I did.  Porches on this album show Aaron and company drifting closer to a straight-up Synth-Pop sound than ever.  And truthfully, it leads to some of the best Porches songs to date.  But the flow of this album isn't nearly as expertly crafted as the last Porches project. Not to mention, Aaron really has to watch himself with both his short interludes and some of his softer tunes, because they honestly don't come off nearly as good as he thinks they do.  Outside of that, this album is still an above average and captivating Synth-Pop album.  It's dreamy, with some really fantastic production as well as some beautifully crafted lyrics.  I just really hope Porches in the future can keep it up and stay consistent.