Some music connects instantly and some takes time (and some never does, but I don’t post that stuff here). Toronto trio Featurette makes music that checks both categories. The first song I heard from them, “Unluckiest“, scratched an itch so well that I decided to broaden this thing to include music. It was on the best of the year list, and probably should have been top 20. The 2023 EP Unluckiest is the turning point for this trio, from the somewhat conventional electropop on 2016’s Crave and 2020’s Dream Riot to something more primal, provocative and riveting. “Spit”, from that EP, is an all-timer:
Since Unluckiest, they’ve had a steady stream of singles, starting with “Red Rover”. Most have been featured on a Friday Setlist (though they all should have been). Each started out as a song I liked but didn’t love, only to draw me back again and again over the next week or two. Now they’re all part of the regular rotation.
The title of this new record, Panic Pills, is an indicator of what’s to come. The human brain’s reaction to a major threat is fight, flight or freeze, Featurette picks fight every time — resulting in their best collection of songs so far.
The nine songs on Panic Pills mostly follow Featurette’s established formula: vocal-heavy with minimal production at the beginning that builds to a manic, intense crescendo, usually with singer Lexie Jay dropping F-bombs defiantly and liberally.
The lyrics primarily deal with redemption or revenge. The world-conquering attitude of “Red Rover” has a mirror image a few songs later in “Next Life”, where crippling panic and anxiety rule. “Maybe in my next life / I could live my best life”
As good as the front end of the record is, the trio buries the lede on Panic Pills. The last two songs, “Interrogation” and “Golden Hour” (top of the post), are the centrepiece of the album to me. “Interrogation” is a revenge fantasy about an abuser getting what’s due, climaxing with a fierce Lex howling that “Mama raised a bitch and the bitch likes to bite”. Fight music. So good.
It’s followed by its polar opposite: “Golden Hour” (up top) is the most vulnerable and dynamic track on the record. This excellent interview with Range gives some context to the song:
If you’ve been in a car accident, there’s a real element of time slowing down upon impact. In my case, we flipped all the way over and I literally had enough time in those moments to reflect on some of the most beautiful moments of my life. It felt like I’d be stuck in that space forever, until that blood-pumping rush of adrenaline when you realize you’re alive at the end of it.
That adrenaline rush is present throughout Panic Pills. It’s a strong record from a confident band, and I’ve enjoyed it more with every listen. It’s easily among my favourite records of the year so far.
