On ‘Peace Loving People,’ Pardoner Takes Aim at Late-Stage Capitalism with Slacker-Rock Gusto

San Francisco’s Pardoner unpacks late-capitalism with nostalgic slacker rock pleasantries on their latest, the sarcastically-named full-length album Peace Loving People (out now on Bar/None Records).

Throughout the record, the quartet’s punk tendencies glitter lightly through a newfound tenderness. The group’s blasé sound changes as quick as an Internet trend, bursting into heavy bits of breakdowns and then snapping back into pleasing succession, as if to say, “That melody? So two-minutes ago.” 

An ironic proximation of peace-meets-insanity materializes on the record’s last track: “When She’s Next To Me.” The finale opens with a fast-beating heart as the guitar screeches to a halt, stopping for a few slow musings and a slow-marching drumbeat. Anticipation gains and subsequently drops into impenetrable riffs, hauling through crashing cymbals, finally spitting out the truths of the societal landscape they’ve chewed on through the entirety of the album. It’s enough to make you sick.

• Stream Peace Loving People

Pardoner’s sound of cool laziness and scathing skepticism likens them to all the postmodern indie-rockers that self-conscious art kids hold dear to their hearts. If you fancy a musically-driven existential ride, there’s room for all. So get inside!    

You can hear new music from Pardoner, as well as local, regional, national and international artists on our music discovery station The Independent 89.9 HD4. And you can follow our Fresh Squeeze playlist on Spotify to stream all the best new music, updated every month.