Paul Criscuolo’s heartbreaky indie rock is the kind of music that lends itself well to a sense of millennial angst unique to its generation. There’s a confusion all too familiar in “Pass Your House” that speaks to the sense of emotional amputation often felt after the loss of someone close. The track’s content doesn’t feel played out or tired though. It’s cheesy in just the right amount and in just the right places, making it feel effortless, reminiscent of the songwriting of Weezer’s Rivers Cuomo. The track is simple but compelling in its structure, offering synchronized vocal and guitar melodies that glide over a Pavement-style fuzz tone. He takes the same sense of angst in a different direction on “Psychosis”: a short acoustic track with a bouncy melodic bass line. What’s refreshing about his style is that he knows how to deliver a consistent emotional message while using a variety of sonic techniques. He won’t pigeonhole himself into any certain genre or aesthetic niche and there’s something refreshing about that. If these first tracks are any indication of what’s to come from Criscuolo, we’ve got a lot to look forward to.
-Andrew Strader