Review: Bring Her – Comfort in the Shame

Bring Her
Comfort In The Shame

Knife Hits Records
Street: 08.19
Bring Her = Skeletal Family + Siouxsie Sioux + a pinch of John Carpenter for good measure 

Pittsburgh-native and self-proclaimed “sorrow-wave” duo Bring Her’s sophomore LP, Comfort In The Shame, delivers them into the loving hands of Philly indie label Knife Hits. Debut single “The Last The Worst” dropped in early July and perhaps conveniently opens the 10-track album. As one might expect from the duo’s moniker, Bring Her brings a broody, basement horror-flick feel that would suit any A24 film dropped this year. A dungeon is an a-propos placement for a performance of their second album, as it echoes with key post-punk, underground sounds and monotonic vocals.

Percussive tricks and interesting drum fills flourish several tracks, including “In Time We’re Downtide.” At times, licks of electronics can be caught amid classic, droning guitar riffs. The fourth track, “TITLE” highlights said synth elements, hailing ever so subtly to the drama of early–mid ’80s mainstream sounds while also hovering just off the event horizon to prevent them from seeming like sell-outs to formulaic pop. Perish the thought!

“Say Ready” and “Give Me To Them” set the LP up midway with a goth-worthy, danceable feel that could satisfy any leather club crowd. Not quite Euro-industrial–esque, Bring Her manages to dabble, ever so lightly, in several genres and eras of the ilk. Thematically, they trend towards one-note and predictable, with lyrics and concepts that feel redundant over the length of the tracklist. The consistent, female-led vocals add a strange softness to the harsh, moribund momentum of the album—something the Siouxsie fans will slurp-up gleefully. 

“Choke Back” was the standout track of the collection, with strange and tasty guitar licks of an early Trent Reznor sort of flavor. Admittedly, a possible lack of vocal dynamism (beyond the constraints of talky, droning post-punk expectations) seems to hamper the opportunity for some of the tracks to be as truly spooky and depthful as they could be.

Comfort In The Shame closes with one final small, punchy moment in the synth lines of “Mourning Again,” only made vaguely hacky by the track’s title. All together, Bring Her gives its audience a set of competent goth-rock tracks that can theme the next Halloween party or substance-fueled Saturday night satisfyingly enough. –Paize Zuckerman

Read more reviews of dark, ’80s-inspired albums here:
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