Pity Sex are one of a long line of Run for Cover bands that have been experimenting with more textural qualities in the past three years. I liked their album from 2013, Feast of Love, and this album does not deviate too far from that aesthetic—melodic, self-pitying, shoegazey pop-punk with powerful riffing, the occasional softer ballad, and vocal interplay between the dreamy voice of Brittany Drake and the emo drawl of Brennan Greaves. Lyrically it’s confessional and much of the album deals with what vocalist Brittany describes as "the burden of loving someone when it’s not convenient."

RIYL Title Fight, early Brand New, Turnover, Ringo Deathstarr
Favorites: 1, 2, 5, 8, 11
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1. (2:32) *A Satisfactory World for Reasonable People—Uptempo. Drawn-out emo male vocals low in the mix. Brighter, screechy guitars at 0:55. Dreamy female vocals and more direct guitars at 1:27.
2. (3:44) ***Burden You—Mostly female vocals and some male vocals that blend together well. Awesome drumming. Dreamy vocals drowned in ennui, layered over typical Run for Cover percussion and guitar styles.
3. (2:59) Bonhomie—Warped male vocals and gentle strummed electric guitar. Pounding drumming and fast melody explodes in at 0:40. Like fuzzed-out early 2000s Brand New/Taking Back Sunday.
4. (4:19) September—Mid-tempo rocker. Starts off very similarly to Burden You. Male and female vocals in dialogue with each other.
5. (3:07) *****What Might Soothe You?—Lyrically, reminds me of Alex G. Really really sick chord progressions and powerful vocal delivery. The majority of the insane guitar effects are saved for the chorus, which features some blisteringly visceral guitar riffs. Wow wow wow.
6. (2:44) Plum—Narrative sung by the female singer about her mother. Starts with soft acoustic guitar and gets heavier and more effects-laden halfway through. Reminds me a lot of Whirr’s album Sway, as well as Mirror Travel’s latest in the way it builds.
7. (3:14) Nothing Rips Through Me—Heavy, prototypical wall-of-sound shoegaze. Sounds like it could have been off their previous album, and very evocative of Nothing’s album Guilty of Everything.
8. (3:32) ***Orange and Red—Whoaaaaaaa this rips! Super driving, headbanging territory. Sweet guitar solo at 1:35.
9. (2:03) Dandelion—Shimmering melancholia. Gently strummed electric guitar with the faintest reverb. “Why can’t you just release me?”
10. (3:17) White Hot Moon—More polished shoegaze with some interesting riffs and chord changes. Very Catherine Wheel.
11. (2:41) ***Pin a Star—“Have I been good? Have I been strong?” Reminds me thematically of Ringo Deathstarr’s Pure Mood—alternates between fury and fragility, anchored by a driving, constant beat. Stunning.
12. (5:23) Wappen Beggars—A bit too long a track for just rehashing safe, emo-gaze formulas. Cool swirling phasing effects from 4:15 until the end.