Remember Sports: The Refrigerator

"The Refrigerator, the first album in five years from Philadelphia's Remember Sports, is a "Saturn return record," according to Perry-a record about undergoing transformation, leaving adolescence, and tentatively entering adulthood. If the band's homespun and deliriously catchy 2014 compilation record captured the kinetic energy of a sweaty college party, The Refrigerator is the sound of a 10-year reunion, subdued and sentimental, reflective and a little restless."

"There are still hints of Remember Sports' punk origins on The Refrigerator, recorded at Steve Albini's Electrical Audio studios just after his death in 2024. Their basement show bonafides are all over the breakneck rhythms of "Thumb" and "Bug," the squealing feedback of "Yowie," and the sparse riff that guides "Soothe/Seethe." But more frequently than on previous records, the band expands into softer palettes and slower tempos."

"With a slight caterwaul and a gravely low range, Perry sounds self-assured in these more patient modes, channeling Americana on "Across the Line" and "Selfish." Guitars laced with hazy chorus and reverb conjure the breezy pop country of Sheryl Crow and The Chicks."

The Refrigerator is Remember Sports' first album in five years, conceptualized as a "Saturn return record" addressing the transition from adolescence to adulthood. The album captures the emotional complexity of late twenties, where nostalgia, impatience, and lingering teenage feelings coexist. Recorded at Steve Albini's Electrical Audio studios, the album retains the band's punk foundations through breakneck rhythms and feedback-driven tracks like "Thumb," "Bug," and "Yowie." However, the record increasingly explores softer palettes and slower tempos, with Carmen Perry delivering assured vocals across Americana-influenced tracks. The band incorporates hazy, reverb-laden guitars reminiscent of country-pop artists like Sheryl Crow and The Chicks, representing a more experimental direction consistent with Perry's recent solo work.

Read at Pitchfork