Saturday ACL Fest Record Reviews
Pumarosa
The Witch (Fiction/Caroline)
By Michael Toland, Fri., Oct. 6, 2017
London's Pumarosa surveys three decades of alt-rock on debut album The Witch, borrowing what they like (post-punk, early electronica, post-Bad Seeds melodrama) and discarding what they don't (grunge, hip-hop). James Neville's guitar shimmers as Henry Brown and Nicholas Owen's rhythms flirt with the dance floor while snuggling up to goth pop. Moving from droning anthem "Priestess" to the ethereal pop of "Red" indicates versatility, but also ADD. Fortunately, singer Isabel Munoz-Newsome channels her admiration for Siouxsie Sioux, PJ Harvey, and Savages' Jehnny Beth with every howl and moan, giving the tracks personality the music often lacks. (1pm, Miller Lite stage)