Pyncher’s Debut EP Feels Like The End Of A Chapter, And The Start Of A New One

Words by Chiara Strazulla

Photo by Gabbi Goldman

If you try and find a way of describing Manchester’s Pyncher in one word, that word may very well be ‘unstoppable’. It is an accurate description of their sound, which feels relentless, like it is tapping into a bottomless vein of energy, as anyone who’s ever attended one of their live gigs will testify. It is also an accurate description of their trajectory as artists, as they have never rested on one tried and tested formula, but rather kept experimenting with different chord combinations, song structures, and cross-genre influences. Nor is it off the mark as a description for their career thus far, which saw them making a mark for themselves in their local grassroots scene, charming the audience of iconic London venues, then hitting a metaphorical bump in the road only to come back even stronger, with new songs that feel both more ambitious and more polished and a stage presence powered by a much greater confidence. This is a band that has always known they were going places, moving forward with that target in sight, never being discouraged but rather taking every twist as an occasion for artistic growth; and their music has become all the better for it.

Their debut EP, Every Town Needs A Stranger, is now finally out and it feels like a culmination of all of this, the natural endpoint of a trajectory which, while non-linear, was always meant to lead us here in the end. It also feels like a promise: there is something open-ended to it, like that road has now ended in a fork and it would be very hard to predict, once this initial chapter is closed, where the band is going to go next, and what they are going to do. Exciting times lie ahead.

Before embarking on that next adventure, though, it is more than worth spending some time with the EP, which is generous with its materials: at eight tracks plus one final demo, by bulk alone it would deserve the title of long player, and there is a feeling that the sole reason it is not an album lays with the nature of the tracks it puts together, which feel more like a compendium of all the band has done thus far than a single, cohesive narrative. This, once we step out of the album framework, is a positive far more than a negative: the EP becomes a highly effective showcase of the band’s versatility, nimbly jumping through different moods and showing how clever and flexible Pyncher’s voice can be. There is something chameleonic to it when it is taken as a whole: listen to it all in a row and it will leave you with a degree of emotional whiplash, leading you through vibes that range from shoegaze-y to garage rock, to quasi-punk, to psychedelic-adjacent. It is one hell of a ride, and throughout the band’s voice still feels consistent and true to itself, which is no mean feat to achieve in a debut record; it requires a knowledge of one’s own artistic direction that is clearly achieved through honing their sound for years on live stages, including some rather demanding ones.

For those who have attended those live sets, as well as kept track of the band’s previous output, some of the tracks in this record will feel like old friends. Opener Get Along feels like all the raw energy of a live gig distilled into the studio, and Space Rocket Simulatorplays around with glam guitars and an almost Bowie-esque mix of the energetic and the melancholy; it was a stand-out when first released as a single and it remains a stand-out here, in the context of this record. The crown of boldest, most intriguing song in the tracklist must however go to Steely Dan, another piece of music that is clearly meant for the stage, with its thundering guitar line holding together a complex structure that moves in ebbs and flows like some kind of tidal wave. It is a truly impressive piece of music and a testament to exactly how ambitious this band can be.

Not that the rest of the record contains any true low points. Each track has a well-defined identity of its own, which is one of the strength of this EP - as with the infamous box of chocolates, you never quite know what you’re going to get next. At The Seaside is built on a rising bassline, haunting, and feels like quicksand in places. Hippopotamus Boy is the closest to a punk sound this record gets, all sharp edges in its guitar, bass, and drums. Back To The Country has a beautiful vocal range and an energy which seems to have time-travelled straight in from the late 70s. Title track Every Town Needs A Stranger is tight, tense, with the most expressive vocals in the record and some memorable guitar hooks. Dirty Feet is eminently danceable, another track made for a sweaty basement gig; Tired Eyes has a hazy, odd-dream melancholy to it and just a touch of Americana in its guitars. Shapeshifter is unexpected again, skirting very close to that Bauhaus-style brand of industrial-goth rock that you just would not have thought to find in a record like this.

It is, all in all, a truly impressive outing for a band that has never been afraid to set the bar pretty high. Its composite nature makes it work especially well as a summary of Pyncher’s story so far, but it also leaves the listener with an itch for something even bigger and even more ambitious. We can celebrate the end of this chapter by giving it another spin, and wait with bated breath for the next one.

Listen to the EP here

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