In any genre of music, there is a very fine and delicate balancing act between embracing influences and introducing something purely original. Very few bands have the ability to pull it off at all—most end up sounding more like a tired update of an old genre rather than any kind of sound that deserves recognition. On their debut LP, One of Us, Pomegranates have mastered that balancing act, evoking the spaced out dissonance of early Modest Mouse and channeling it through the driving bass lines of Tokyo Police Club, all backed by the nostalgic atmosphere of My Bloody Valentine.
It is a wide variety and makes for often times a simply beautiful listening, if not all of the time. Every song feels wholly original, as if you are discovering something new and breathtaking with each track. Another pitfall which Pomegranates dodge is a lack of variation, where every song falls into the same stylistic rut. One of Us‘ leading strength lies in the striking diversity between songs.
“Prouncer” pushes the tempo and energy to an intense breaking point, but is followed by “Perception,” a washed out, ambient track which mirrors the naked lucidity of listening to an ocean or waterfall. The lyrics parallel the mood of the album with various tales of stargazing and moonlight cast alongside refrains which both celebrate and mourn love. One of Us is criminally underrated in its complexity, and Pomegranates deserve to be regarded in the exact same light as their influences.
