Puny

Slow, experimental, outsider lo-fi plodding songs. Pumice is the solo noise rock/”freak” acoustic project by prolific New Zealander, Stefan Neville. Indecipherable distorted, buzzy over-tracked vocals, ramshackle rhythms, trippy hypnotism. This has high replay value -- I disliked it a lot initially, but it’s really grown on me. A loose allegiance to pop music established in some structures and cycling motifs, but mostly weird (and dreamy?). For fans of Not Not Fun, Lakes, Ducktails, Hemingway (band), Mouthus, and The Dead C. No discernible vocals or FCCs.

1. Muffled slow atonal hazy “pop.” (3:37)
2. Acoustic guitar and piano. As pretty and “normal” as they get on here. (3:32)
3. Vague jazz feel to the rhythm, harsher vocal tones matched to elephant-like screech. (3:00)
*4. Lovely, sustained keyboard/organ drone and melody. A funereal elegy on the crest of a wave. (12:12)
5. Tricky strange time, and an intricate, hypnotic instrumental melody. (2:32)
*6. 4/4 nodding groove and entrancing dreamy keys, blissful melody, guitars, vox. (5:26)
7. Sparse acoustic guitar and wailing. (1:26)
8. Ugly multitracked odd structure and intermittent dead air in second half. (3:27)
*9. Slow, trippy, buzzed-out psychy haze built around drum machine-esque thud. Then noise drone. (9:19)