Caroline, Please Never Shut Up
Review of Caroline Polachek’s “Pang”
Caroline Polachek — Pang
Released October 18, 2019
Caroline Polachek, the woman that you are!! This album was exactly what I was hoping it would be. It has everything from lyrics to vocals to production. While this is her debut as a solo artist, it’s obvious this is not her first rodeo making music. From her years of experience in the band Chairlift to writing for other artists including Beyonce, she comes to this record with such a clear vision.
Even though I think her sound is her own, while listening through this album I couldn’t help but think of her in the same neighborhood sonically as Charli XCX, HAIM, and The Japanese House and lyrically like Maggie Rogers or Phoebe Bridgers. I also thought of her as being in the same neighborhood as Kate Bush, less sonically and more in terms of their approach to making music. They both share a unique sense of creative vision and control for their work that’s somewhat outside of the expected sound for pop girls.
The sounds on this album are a bit eclectic, but still has a cohesion that speaks to Polachek’s vision as a solo artist. “New Normal” starts with a Mazzy Star esque opening note, and “Ocean of Tears” sounding like it could easily fit on HAIM’s third album. “Insomnia” invokes the feeling of a lullaby or a banshee-like keening while “The Gate”’s angelic open to the album initially brought to mind the atmospheric Preacher’s Daughter by Ethel Cain.
My favorite tracks are “Ocean of Tears,” “Door,” “Insomnia,” “Caroline Shut Up,” and of course “So Hot You’re Hurting My Feelings.” Upon second and third listens, “Pang” and “Hit Me Where It Hurts” have also crept their way into my favorites with the title track getting stuck in my head for the rest of the day after writing this.
“So Hot..” is what introduced me to Polachek and made me want to listen to this full album. Personally, I think this is a perfect ’80s inspired pop song and when I found out it was co-written by Teddy Geiger and producer Dan Nigro, it all made sense. Gieger is one of the premier pop songwriters, having written with Shawn Mendes, Niall Horan, and One Direction, and Nigro is perhaps best known for his work on Olivia Rodrigo’s SOUR and GUTS. His recent work with Chappell Roan is cementing him in this 80s and 90s teen pop revival a la Alanis and Liz Phair and I’m so here for it. Polachek is a bit of an outlier in Nigro’s resume, I would not dare call her teen pop, but I hope more people know that he worked on this because I really do love this album and would hate for him to only be known as Olivia’s producer.
Reading other reviews for this album, I came across this quote that I think sums it up perfectly: “Best listened to sad and lonely in your bedroom, Pang is the perfect dance album for smart and sensitive boys and girls after their day’s journaling are done.”
I can’t wait to add this album to my playlists and let it become part of my life.
