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Public Strain

by Women

supported by
Brandon William
Brandon William thumbnail
Brandon William There's something very special in Eyesore. The tones are special, a sad blizzard
Favorite track: Eyesore.
Wamble
Wamble thumbnail
Wamble I think this album me be the reason why I decided to start making music. Favorite track: Eyesore.
steverie
steverie thumbnail
steverie Truly one of the greatest albums of the 2010's, and one of the most unique ones at that. It balances noise & harmony equally well, and the songs are so densely layered that I still pick up on sonic details to this day. The lifespan of Women was cut tragically short, and the subsequent death of Chris Reimer made their ending especially upsetting. Public Strain has only gotten better with age in my opinion, and I know that this is one record that I will continue to cherish in the years to come. Favorite track: Eyesore.
Tad Mikio Ishikawa
Tad Mikio Ishikawa thumbnail
Tad Mikio Ishikawa absolute legends! damn shame they'll never tour again. Favorite track: Eyesore.
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Penal Colony 02:39
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Bells 03:22
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China Steps 04:21
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Untogether 03:08
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Drag Open 04:52
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Eyesore 06:25

about

On their debut self-titled album, Women embraced sonic brashness that deeper examination revealed to be tinted with sly pop melody. With "Public Strain" the band honed a sound truthful to that reverb drenched noise while allowing the pop sensibilities to surface into clearer focus.

In fall of 2009, Patrick Flegel (vocals/guitar), Matt Flegel (bass/vocals), Chris Reimer (guitar/vocals), and Michael Wallace (drums) went into the studio with an abundance of ideas, working around conflicting schedules and graveyard shifts. With Chad VanGaalen again on production duties, the band laboriously crafted a timeless sounding recording over the dead of winter in Alberta, Canada. The result exploits their usage of harsh, grating dissonance in smaller and controlled doses, using noise as the foundation for richly structured, layered songwriting.

From the opening strains of "Can't You See" it's clear that the album is far more than just a continuation of their debut. Resting upon Matt Flegel's plodding bass line, Patrick Flegel's deadpan vocal delivery, and Chris Reimer on bowed guitars and cello, this moody, nocturnal ballad opens the album on a dark note – one that is quickly countered by "Heat Distraction", a jigsaw of bright guitar phrases and winding time signatures.

This exact balance of delicate and dense is a pervasive thread throughout the album, reflecting the contradiction of the band's environment buried in urban sprawl framed by prairie landscape. Whether twisting through the urgent krautrock of "Locust Valley", an exercise of harmony through simplicity, or climaxing with the bittersweet melody of "Eyesore", the album somehow builds luminous contrast out of a palette of grays.

In places claustrophobic, conjuring walking dreams of sexual anguish and general decay, elsewhere soaring with vintage guitar tones and vocal melodies or collapsing into swirling, mesmerizing swells, "Public Strain" cycles through insomnia, paranoia, resignation and euphoria, to capture a band with an undeniable voice coming into full awareness of their craft.

credits

released August 24, 2010

2010, 2010 Jagjaguwar

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Women Calgary, Alberta

In fall of 2009, Patrick Flegel (vocals/guitar), Matt Flegel (bass/vocals), Chris Reimer (guitar/vocals), and Michael Wallace (drums) went into the studio with an abundance of ideas, working around conflicting schedules and graveyard shifts. With Chad VanGaalen again on production duties, the band laboriously crafted a timeless sounding recording over the dead of winter in Alberta, Canada. ... more

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