If Pollyn's excellent debut album This Little Night – a steely-cool collection recalling Bat For Lashes & Portishead – had ice water pulsing through its veins, the band has since undergone a thorough transfusion to something much more warm-blooded for their follow-up, Living In Patterns.
Pollyn seems energized by a wide array of influences on this new album, ranging from Remain In Light era Talking Heads (the cut "How Small We Are" picks up right where The Talking Heads’ "The Great Curve" left off) to funky New Wave ensembles like ESG and Rip Rig + Panic.
Living In Patterns simmers and bubbles with an undercurrent of African-influenced polyrhythms, which combine with the inventive flourishes of multi-instrumentalist Adam Jay Weissman and the drop-dead gorgeous vocals of Genevieve Artadi to create a bold, vivid mix. The pace has a rapid forward-propulsion that is infectious. In the few moments where the album slows to catch its breath, on tracks like "You're Okay" and "Our Home Became a House," the band infuses some unnerving Moroder-esque synths to keep you on the edge of your seat. And it works.
The album as a whole emits a distinct early 80s New York vibe, that magical time and place where the lines blurred between new wave & no wave, punk & funk, electro and Afrobeat. Yet the record still manages to sound modern... No easy feat. And although Pollyn has a song on the new album titled, "How Small We Are," this band is one to watch. I doubt they will remain anything close to small for much longer.
-- Dan Wilcox, KCRW Music Host
Living in Patterns will be available to stream on demand from September 26 though October 25, 2011. The album will be released on Tuesday, October 4, 2011.
Artist website: http://pollyn.com
Track listing
1. Hot Air
2. Sometimes You Just Know
3. How Small We Are
4. You're OK
5. Ay Ya Ya Ya (Forever In My Hands)
6. Going Through The Motions
7. Same Old Thing feat. Sal Principato
8. Our Home Became A House
9. Look For Light