Few bands manage to capture the essence of our chaotic times while at the same time offering a beacon of artistic hope. With their new album “Sacred Times,” Montreal-based PYPY indeed does just that. Long-anticipated since their first full-length “Pagan Day,” it’s more than a return but also an attestation to the growth of the band and just how unstoppable the genre of experimental punk rock can be.
PYPY’s trajectory sprouted from the rich soil of Montreal’s music scene, which has fostered musicians who tear conventions to shreds. The signature make-up Annie-Claude Deschênes’ diversified vocals, Philippe Clement’s grounding bass, Simon Besré’s rhythmic drumming and Roy Vucino’s explosive guitar work all create a unique tapestry of sound that simply cannot be reduced to categories. This grouping of talents lets PYPY lace together punk aggression with post-punk introspection almost organically, yielding a sound both instinctively familiar and refreshingly novel.
This ability to transcend genres is perhaps best typified by their song “She’s Gone,” which even managed to find its way into the 2016 fashion show of Yves Saint Laurent. Such a crossover-from underground punk to high fashion-underscores the universal reach of PYPY music and its capacity to strike home across a wide cultural arc.
“Sacred Times” drops at a very poignant time, both for the band and for the world in general. The very title of this album is an evocative exhibit, promising a record of immense importance sandwiched between the turmoil of our times. Early reviews champion its “erratic and consistently thrilling” nature, drawing comparisons to the raw energy of The Stooges and the groove-laden landscapes of post-punk. This dichotomy between chaos and structure very much mirrors the complex emotions many of us grapple with in today’s world.
The most successful single, “Lonely Striped Sock,” paradigmatic of the acoustic inclinations of PYPY, appears to be a band that falls upon serendipity with writing songs that are best fitted viscerally-primal and intellectually engaged. That balance between the maximum possible accessibility and depth is the hallmark that just simply sets PYPY apart from the general background noise of music. With themes of isolation, anxiety, and the quest for connection, the band zeroes into the collective conscious of a generation faced with unprecedented challenges.
The themes of chaos and liberation on this record speak to broader societal trends… the more chaotic the world, the more crucially important art is that reflects that chaos while offering cathartic respite. PYPY serve both as a mirror to our tumultuous times and as the eventual escape valve for those turbulent emotions listeners will have worked through during the band’s high energy performances.
The album “Sacred Times” speaks to a deeper hunger for real and boundary-pushing music. In a time when much of the mainstream music seems sanitized and unadventurous, PYPY’s acceptance of indeterminacy and difficulty is a breath of fresh air. Their music poignantly reminds one of art’s powerful capability to provoke, inspire, and unite.
“Sacred Times” is a milestone in the artistic journey of PYPY. With no limitation to delve deep into the exploration between punk energy, post-punk introspection, and experimental soundscapes, PYPY presents a challenge to prevailing views on what rock music can be in the 21st century.
PYPY are on a brave new trajectory that finds them confronting confusing darkness in our times without ever losing sight of the primordial viscera of rock and roll. In doing this, they remind us of the potential of music to reflect, contest, and even change our understanding of the world.