Beauty Pill

After spending time in various DC punk bands, the members of Beauty Pill decided to lighten up a bit and take a less obvious route from their peers. The Unsustainable Lifestyle, their debut album, is a product of many different influences, yet it refuses to indulge in the band’s eclectic tastes to a point where it’s off-putting. As a whole, the record travels a zigzag, mostly following the route of indolent indie rock played in minor-key, similar to a band like Unwound, without all of the screaming. Rachel Burke’s vocal contributions bring Mary Timony’s work to mind, with the constant string bending on guitar and all around slumberous feeling. Things do become a little confusing with "Won’t You Be Mine,” a Mr. Rogers-sampling, funk-based jam that seems to thrive on the word "nigger.” Despite this though, Beauty Pill’s assorted game plan of three vocalists works without losing any appeal. The result is a lush, composed album of angular guitars and hidden grooves that keeps a strong backbone from beginning to end.