The Prids: Do I look Like I’m in Love? Review

By Iliana Ramirez
Music Journalist

Artist: The Prids
Album: Do I Look Like I’m in Love?
Release Date: January 12, 2018
Website: https://www.theprids.com

With 20 years of music under their belt, Portland based post-punk band The Prids are back with their fifth studio album, Do I Look Like I’m in Love? The eight year period between their last album release to their latest was due to a recovery from lead vocalist and bassist, Mistina La Fave. Just before going into the studio to record new music, La Fave suffered a brain hemorrhage. The last few years have not been so easy for the band as they have experienced tragic events such as divorce, illness and even a severe van crash during their 2008 tour. Though these events have shaped the band into what they are today, they do not allow these low points prevent them from putting out music that is timeless and impacts emotionally.

If there is one word I could use to describe Do I Look Like I’m in Love?, it would be dreamy. This album takes listeners out of their own personal pace, into one which is dreamlike. This is due to the charming and soft vocals of Mistina La Fave and David Frederickson. Not only this, but lyrics which touch on love and wanting to be in the dreams of others adds to the band’s dreamy sound.

The record opens with “Summer Cult”, a perfect introduction to this post-punk and shoegaze driven album. The song paves the way for the rest of the album. It begins with a heavy guitar riff and is followed by soft, steady drums which later picks up pace with La Fave’s charming vocals. This starting song to the album is one of my favorites because it is one which you could play anytime and immediately begin to sing along with. With the addition of the glockenspiel and keyboard, the song “I Remember Everything” is another which is memorable as it has a more playful sound.

Songs such as “Haunted” and “Colliding” consist of catchy guitar riffs which leave listeners wanting to replay the songs over and over again. The vocals of La Fave and Frederickson compliment each other so strongly on this album. With their vocals laid on top of each other in several songs, it is almost as if another instrument is being brought into the album.

As for lyrics on the album, they are poetic in the way that the band uses words that flow so beautifully together and even make them rhyme in several songs such as “Haunted” and “The Shape.” On the track “Haunted” the verse after the corus, “I just noticed, you’re the closest, you have lips and hands and lies,” is one which shows the band’s poetic side. This description of a lover adds to the dreaminess that the album portrays. With each song having short choruses and verses this gives the album an even more poetic element.

One of the longer songs of the album, “English Treasure”, is mostly instrumental and provides a nice middleground for the album. This mostly instrumental song resonates with sounds of the band Explosions in the Sky. The next song, “Mangled Hearts,” includes a synthesizer and a more upbeat sound, which makes you want to move your body a little more that the rest of the songs on the album. This is a unique sound for the band as most of their songs are moody and slow. With The Prid’s past albums, listeners would not expect this as the band has mainly stuck with traditional instruments. It is evident that the band is not afraid to take risks with their sound.

Do I Look Like I’m in Love? takes listeners out of their own world into another with soothing vocals, airy guitar riffs and a nice balance of drums. I knew from the first listen of this album, that I would be hooked on it. Even with a few bumps in their musical path, The Prids have always given fans something to look forward to. All five albums from The Prids are available for streaming on spotify and bandcamp. Though the band has yet to announce a tour for this album they have two upcoming shows in their hometown of Portland, Oregon.