You Suck The Light Out Of The Room

Sloan “Unkind”

There are other songs on Sloan’s new album The Double Cross that grabbed my attention more quickly, and I’ll get to them later on. Weirdly, those songs were more subtle and understated — the lovely ballad “Laying So Low,” the retro-pop “Shadow of Love,” the stately “Beverley Terrace.” “Unkind,” a Patrick Pentland number, is one of his riffy stompy tunes and it just sorta pushed its way into my brain and has barely left for weeks. The only song that can knock it out of my mind lately is “Friday” by Rebecca Black. Obviously, “Friday” can be a little irritating, but “Unkind” is a joy. I love how assertive it sounds — not angry or pushy, just very clear-headed and forthright. Pentland is dealing with some relationship anxiety and frustration in the lyrics, but even when he’s being mean and dismissive, he doesn’t come across like a jerk. The words do not suggest any kind of resolution, but the music sounds celebratory, like someone realizing that they have the freedom and agency to walk away from someone who is bringing them down.

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