POSTDATA - “Inside Out”

SXSW 2023 - OEB Score: 8; Popularity Index: 5

Pairs Well With…Grizzly Bear, Lord Huron, Wintersleep

While a new listen for me, POSTDATA has been at it for over a dozen years and that experience shows on the expansive and interesting Twin Flames. 2021 full-length is POSTDATA’s third, an album that touches on cinematic pop, indie rock, and new-wave modes. Building and deconstructing around folk rock models, the Canadian artist sounds downright grand at moments, but purposefully recedes as quickly as he rose. Percussive and jangly, POSTDATA’s music is toe-tapping as well, so complete that its surprising Twin Flames haven’t broken larger yet. Working against a global pandemic doesn’t help, so maybe 2023 will be a banner year for POSTDATA. The voice of POSTDATA may sound familiar as well - this is the solo outlet of Wintersleep’s Paul Murphy. Weighed against Wintersleep, POSTDATA is more detailed and even experimental, finding dynamics within an often spacious plain. Oh, and there’s horns! It’s not a centerpiece, but horn lines and even some string sections take POSTDATA’s sound up a fulfilling level. (Kevin McStravick)