Album Reviews
- by Tom Dumarey
When Holy Pinto released ‘Congratulations’ back in 2016, they were still a two-piece operating out of Canterbury in the UK. Since then, Holy Pinto has turned into a solo project for Aymen Saleh, who is now residing in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Which brings us to ‘Adult,’ Saleh’s first solo outing that tells the story of leaving home, growing up and adulting. Throughout eight songs, we get treated to some well-written indie pop tunes that range from the slightly rocking ‘Daisey Chain’ to the lighter-than-air ‘Salt’ and which sound not unlike a a more saccharine version of The Front Bottoms or Say Anything.
It’s all bright guitars and sprightly melodies wrapped up in an overall sense of sadness. Yet it doesn’t manage to draw me in. Which I think is mostly due to Saleh’s vocals, which are oddly enough one of the album’s biggest draws as well as the culprit responsible for a sense of sameness creeping in. Soft and delicate, melodic, teeming with a sense of sadness and, well... kinda the same the whole way through. It makes ‘Adult’ a charming but not quite charming enough album.
Track listing:
- Adult #1
- Daisychain
- Gold Leaf
- Salt
- King
- Brother
- You Are My Seatbelt
- Adult #2
Lacking the talent to actually play in a band, Tom decided he would write about bands instead. Turns out his writing skills are mediocre at best as well.
