Album Review: Sheer Mag – Playing Favorites

A breezy fusion of ’70s classic rock and punk

After signing with a new label, Third Man Records, the Philadelphia quartet, Sheer Mag delivers their first full length record in five years. Playing Favorites dives into themes surrounding love, longing, and the highs and lows of everyday life folded within, clever, catchy lyrics. Beginning on the title track, “Playing Favorites“ paints a bright sonic landscape through a narration of the band itself getting back in business, foreshadowing the upbeat demeanor present across the majority of the album.

“I can’t sit around at home where I don’t belong / So we packed up the van, just like the old days, playing the same old songs / Taking I-10 west into the setting sun / And we’re back on the road”

Vocalist Christina Halladay pierces effortlessly through the mix, delivering brilliant lyrics surrounding indecision and the monotony of daily life in tracks such as “Mechanical Garden.” Weaved seamlessly into the funky rhythm provided by Kyle Seely (lead guitar, studio drums), Evan Campbell (live drums), Hart Seely (bass), and Matt Palmer (rhythm guitar/keyboards) — she sings “Watch them, watch them waste away / The hand is reaching down / And rips them, Rips them from the ground.”

Playing Favorites listening experience can only be described as a giddy, toe-tapping 38 minutes of ’70s classic rock infused with early punk. Although few artists are able to successfully replicate the eccentric energy felt during a live performance into a studio album, it’s easy to imagine Sheer Mag performing Playing Favorites live — embodying the grooves of “All Lined Up” and “I Gotta Go,” while Halladay grins ear- to-ear belting out feel good lyrics such as “I don’t really care when the mail comes ‘Cause I got you here” in “Paper Time.”

Sheer Mag’s genre bending sound shines the brightest on “Eat It and Beat It,” where Zeppelin-esque grooves meet gravelly punk call-and-response vocals with a Riot Grrrl attitude: “Sometime’s a high ridin’ woman’s got no choice / But to be a son of a bitch.”

The optimistic momentum within the instrumentation is carried forward throughout the entire tracklist, at times creating a perplexing contrast between the band’s uptempo energy and Halladay’s melancholy lyrics seen in songs such as “Golden Hour.” While the fourth track, “Don’t Come Lookin” displays a brief departure from the party like atmosphere. The fast, gritty guitar tones are traded with a finger picked acoustic guitar for the opening ten seconds before throwing the listener back into the familiar territory of blues based guitar riffs.

A refreshing, happy go-lucky listening experience, Playing Favorites offers a perfect soundtrack for summer drives or late nights with close friends.