Hannah’s Take
As a former house show goer, I still harbor an immense appreciation for local music. So when Matt let me know that his friends’ band, Pluck, is about to drop their first full-length album, I couldn’t say no to writing up a review.
Warm Safe Kind elicited each of those exact feelings for me: the warmness of the guitar, safety found in steady vocal talent, and the kindness of an album that just understands you. Each track felt familiar to me, though not in a copycat sort of way, rather in a, “Hey, I know you and I like you” sort of way.
While the album is consistent from the start, it truly picks up around track four, “Vessel.” The intro is starkly different from anything else on the record, and immediately I was hooked. From there, it only gets better. Each song took me back to the way I felt standing in grubby basements, listening to impassioned musicians sing about love and loss. Sometimes, I miss that feeling more than I’d like to admit, but Pluck has given me an outlet to experience those emotions in the safety of my adult life.
“The Shape of Your Hands” also struck me as different. Not necessarily in sound, but in the way I felt connected to the band despite not knowing them until this listen. Connection is something I value in any art form, and the lyrics throughout this track made me feel like the lead vocalist was a long lost friend of mine.
I’m always thrilled to be introduced to bands from around the Western New York region, especially when they’ve got something special. And Pluck is just that: a band with the unique ability to take their listeners someplace else through nostalgic alt rock.
Three Standout Tracks: “Vessel,” “The Shape of Your Hands,” and “Waves”