For as long as there have been electric guitars and teenagers with confused priorities, there have been bands like The Pinx and songs like “Other Side.” The single from the band’s forthcoming Freedom steps into the lights with a riff that could’ve been lifted from Jailbreak (or, for that matter, Separation Sunday), while singer Adam McIntyre compresses his voice into a gated whine nicked from Ozzy Osbourne circa Blizzard of Ozz.
Which isn’t to say that “Other Side” is a rehash of hesher greats; all that crunch is working in service of a melody that would make Alex Chilton proud. The Atlanta quartet, who are returning from a five-year recording hiatus, know how to work their way around a melody, prodding it for every possible escape option. Like Thin Lizzy before them, they nick their chorus with a twinge of minor-chord twang, then shift into doe-eyed romanticism for the bridge, putting a little pop in their power. It’s a sound we’ve heard before, sure—and judging by the kitted-out muscle car on Freedom’s cover, The Pinx know where they come from—but that doesn’t make those harmonies any less sweet. Give it a listen below.
Freedom is being self-released on 5/27.
