Pillow Queens - “Brothers”

SXSW 2020 - OEB Score: 8; Popularity Index: 6

Pairs Well With…Girlpool, Charly Bliss, The Regrettes 

Playing a notably smooth version of punk-pop forms, Pillow Queens present a unique take on the genre along with well-versed threads of breezy, shoegaze, and folk-based rock. Latest single “Brothers” is a loving, jangly song, somewhere between a pacing ballad and dreamy pop track, rotating emotional depth and tender tribute between verse and chorus. Shooting back through Pillow Queens’ catalog, including a couple EPs and surrounding singles since 2017’s Calm Girls, a fully-formed unit is revealed with a warming sound becoming the nexus of their music as they evolve year after year. Calm Girls tracks “Rats” and “Olive” are heavier, shinier slices of power pop, countered with 2018 single “Gay Girls”, a beautiful, echoing grunge tale that is tightly patient in its dreamy landscapes only to reward with an explosion of rambunctious joy by song’s end. The four Irishwomen of Pillow Queens can also write a super-catchy pop/rock song as shown on recent single “HowDoILook”, vibing like a 90s alt-rock hit but performed under a contemporary, colorful haze. (Kevin McStravick)