Silversun Pickups: Physical Thrills album review — controlled and confident

LA alt-rock quartet Silversun Pickups have seemed to slip and slide between different guitar scenes, including grunge rock, indie pop and hazy shoegaze styles, since they originally got together in 2000. All these elements slickly intertwine on their sixth album, Physical Thrills, with the band citing classic inspirations including My Bloody Valentine and Talking Heads. They also expand on these themes; when frontman Brian Aubert started work on these latest songs, he initially thought he was composing a musical. The finished tracklisting often has the air of a primetime screen drama soundtrack. The band ramp up the tense riffs with relish on tracks like “Scared Together” (where Aubert offers: “You wanna swim with the alligators?”).

For the most part, Physical Thrills feels more controlled than the album title suggests, to the point that you might find yourself wishing that the outfit would really cut loose creatively. However, there’s no denying the adept musicianship that drives these pretty guitar melodies and laces them with ominous moods. There’s a seasoned rapport between the band members, with bassist Nikki Monninger’s vocals backing Aubert’s distinctly wispy high tones — and then coming to the fore on tracks such as the breathy downtempo of “Alone on a Hill”.

Like its 2019 predecessor, Widow’s Weeds, this album is produced by rock veteran and Garbage co-founder Butch Vig. His confident touch is evident in the immaculate sequencing, for instance, the way that harmonies segue from opening track “Stillness (Way Beyond)” into the taut rhythm of “Sticks and Stones”.

Physical Thrills is also interspersed with a range of fleeting interludes (or what Aubert describes as “dream shanties”), from the murky lullaby of “Dream at Tempo 050” (reminiscent of Angelo Badalamenti’s scores for David Lynch) to the discordant piano reprise of “Dream at Tempo 150”. Interludes aren’t always a successful device — they can make albums feel bloated or disjointed — but they enrich the drama here. Longtime fans of the band will note a link to their debut album (which featured a track entitled “Dream at Tempo 119”), while newer listeners are also likely to be beguiled by these offbeat hints. Ultimately, these sweeping rock reveries are steered by a safe set of hands.

★★★☆☆

‘Physical Thrills’ is released by New Machine Recordings