PIMMER
I Wish I Could Care
Mint 400 Records
Boston-based rock outfit PIMMER releases their sophomore long player, I Wish I Could Care, which follows on the heels of their 2024 debut album, Halcyon 303.
Made up of Sanford Schaffer (vocals, writing, production), Izzy Davis (drums), and Jack Rooks (bass, backing vocals), PIMMER’s sound evokes Proustian madeleine moments of familiarity along with a fresh, distinctive edginess. In other words, it’s the best kind of music: the approachability of their sound persuades, while the uniqueness arouses interest.
Encompassing 10 tracks, high points on I Wish I Could Care include “Things We Did For Fun,” with its deep, droning intro, followed by a swaying feel-good melody that shifts back and forth between flavors of pop-rock and heavier layers of alt-rock.
“Garage Band Glory” blends hints of pop-punk with indie-rock energy, vaguely reminiscent of Foo Fighters, whereas “The Doomsday Clock” reveals suggestions of The Beatles, Seether, and Tom Petty. The result is a contagious wall-of-sound melody topped by Schaffer’s rich, evocative vocals and glowing harmonies.
“Aboard My Private Plane” rolls out on dark, thick guitars that chug with sonic muscle, and then elevate to gleaming textures on the chorus. There’s a musing aspect to Schaffer’s voice, as if he’s trying to escape the gravitational pull of earthbound pressures.
A personal favorite because of its raw, cutting guitars and aggressive rhythm, “The One” immerses listeners in intimate, vulnerable emotions via Schaffer’s searching voice, as he roves through a variety of wistful feelings.
“How Bout It” channels traces of Tom Petty, only with more harmonic punch, accompanied by complex surfaces and coruscating accents. This song is another favorite because of its light to and fro motion and loose, rumbling percussion.
Schaffer’s Mark Knopfler-like vocals inject “Cosmonauts And Ice Cream Men” with delicious, rasping tones, atop dirty, scowling guitars riding a clanging rhythm laced with tinges of funk. Measured, soft doo doo vocal harmonies are the icing on the cake.
On their second album, PIMMER displays a keen feel for the interplay of melody and lyrics, a feel crucial to the charisma of I Wish I Could Care.
