In March, Pistolita will embark on a lengthy tour with scene veterans Saves The Day, Canadian rockers Moneen, and Circa Survive. Before my knowledge of this tour I had never heard of Pistolita, nor their music. In thinking of other piano-rock type bands, Pistolita is in the same vein as Something Corporate and Melee, unfortunately, theyâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢re just not quite there yet.

Upon my first few listens to this debut full-length, what sticks out to me as a major weakness is the vocalist. While Connor Meads is a solid pianist, his voice does not hold the passion that the music demands. At times it seems he is right on the verge of a brilliant melody, he drowns off with moans expected of a high school screamo band. I can only imagine how much my opinion of this record would change with Jason Gleason behind the microphone. Disregarding voices for the time being, this is quite a catchy and solid record. With hooks that contain the intensity of much heavier groups like Moneen, and piano lines that saturate with harmony, this band has the potential of any piano fronted group I have ever heard.

The final track, â┚¬Ã‹Å“Panicâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢ which clocks in at an epic 7 minutes, 25 seconds, is easily my favorite song on the whole album. I feel like they finally achieve the dynamic theyâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢ve been striving for with the swelling bridge, the tension is breathtaking, and makes me wonder how the live show ends. â┚¬Ã‹Å“China Dolls,â┚¬Ã¢”ž¢ a beautiful mid-album piano-rock ballad, chimes in at only two minutes, definitely a creative decision as it is the only real break from the aggression filling the rest of the record. Without track tags, I might believe that â┚¬Ã‹Å“Killjoyâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢ was just a Moneen song left off of â┚¬Ã‹Å“Are We Really Happyâ┚¬Ã‚¦Ãƒ¢Ã¢”š¬Ã¢”ž¢ Regardless of the music and production the same problem taints this whole record. The vocals, just do not reach the height of the music. An instrumental record would better suit my tastes with this band.

Although I might come off as a little harsh with the vocals of this record, the truth is itâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢s quite well-written. The recording is transparent, the instruments connect and complement each other, and the lyrics are excellent; this is just not the record for me. If you are a fan of piano-driven music, give this record a shot but donâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢t keep the bar as high as past artists have set it.

Tracklist:
1. Age
2. Big Shot
3. China Dolls
4. Cupid
5. Fadawhite
6. Killjoy
7. Metronome
8. Oliver Under The Moon
9. Panic
10. Papercut
11. Pity Refrain
12. Voicebox

Standout Tracks
“Killjoy”, “Panic”, “Cupid”