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Jun 29, 2020 Web Exclusive By Andy Von Pip

Montreal-based Pottery first gained traction after releasing their debut single “Hank Williams.” It’s a raucously groove-laden garage affair that perfectly captures the band’s chaotic spirit and irreverent wit. However, the band’s debut album Welcome to Bobby’s Motel is something of an uneven final product, although it manages to grasp their kinetic energy and off-kilter eccentricity.

Stylistically, Pottery fuse garage and psychedelia with dance-driven, angular art-pop. There’s an appealing, anarchic sense of fun which often masks the skill of their musicianship, but they can be genuinely thrilling. “Texas Drums Pt I & II,” for example, is bone-rattling brilliance. But nothing else on the album quite matches its relentlessly controlled chaos.

Nevertheless, it’s difficult to shake the feeling that you’ve heard this sort of idiosyncratic garage rock before, and that’s when it becomes difficult not to make comparisons. “Hot Heater” sounds uncannily like Fear of Music-era Talking Heads, whilst “What’s in Fashion?” threatens to turn into a slightly dull Orange Juice pastiche. “Take Your Time,” on the other hand, rolls along with David Byrne-style vocals that morph into the strident war cry of Jello Biafra. Then a track such as the Bowie-esque “Reflection” arrives and totally wrong-foots the listener. Altogether, it’s a disorienting album that’s often hard to get a handle on, but perhaps that’s part of the point.

Welcome to Bobby’s Motel is without a doubt an album that at times is a heck of a lot of fun, but it ultimately leaves you with a vague feeling of wondering who Pottery actually are. (www.potteryband.com)

Author rating: 6.5/10