28 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY APRIL 11-17, 2024 www.montereycountyweekly.com MUSIC Some argue that a musician’s physical environment can affect their sound, how they approach music. Think, for example, of the punk rock scene that emerged in England in a time of economic turmoil in the 1970s. However, when I asked members of Pleasure Nature if the foggy atmosphere of Pacific Grove had any influence on their new album (to be released April 24), their answer brought a modern perspective to the subject. Eli Rogin developed the sound of Pleasure Nature when he started it as a solo project. What began as bedroom pop transformed when he started collaborating with Nic Jorgensen and Edward Selph. All three are local musicians with more than 10 years of experience in other local bands. The influence for the album is hard to pin down. Nonetheless, I can hear vocal melodies that remind me of Prefab Sprout and Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark. Upbeat rhythms in “Shadow, Know Your Place” are layered with melancholic guitar melodies that feel like they were picked up where New Wave left them. “Killing a Spirit of the Living Room” starts with haunting vocals then kicks in with a sharp, strutting rhythm along with flanging minor guitar progressions that change, swell and distort. This progresses to an ending that has the atmosphere of a fever dream. In their most recent singles you can hear an eclectic Japanese citypop of the ’70s and ’80s, post punk, indie, gothic imagery and some brain rot, paired with dark and cryptic lyrics. “City rot” is how the band members describe it—lush guitar effects, chorus pedals, flanging delays and melodies galore. What listeners can expect from the new album is an amalgamation of what Pleasant Natures has done in its singles, with even more focus on production. Band members describe the album as their darkest and heaviest work, as far as distortions go. “Our environment is the internet,” Jorgensen says. “We spend a lot of time on the internet or social media. It’s more diffused maybe than it used to be.” This is the context for a band’s environment influencing its sound. “A lot of it is just in this weird muck of the internet—news, influences and things like that,” Jorgensen explains. “That’s probably part of the reason why it’s so eclectic, because we have access to so much music now.” Keep up with the band Pleasure Nature and their new release at instagram.com/pleasure_nature. DANIEL DREIFUSS Domain Name Pleasure Nature draws influence from the place where anything and everything can be found—the internet. By Lani Headley The Pacific Grove-based band Pleasant Nature has previously released singles and an EP, and builds upon their sound for their first full-length album, to be released April 24. THE CRÉPERIE CAFÉ THE CRÉPERIE CAFÉ THE CRÉPERIE CAFÉ THE CRÉPERIE CAFÉ THE CRÉPERIE CAFÉ @ @ @ @ @ 1123 Fremont Blvd, Seaside 831-901-3900 Mon–Fri 7am–4pm (Sat & Sun 8am–4pm) THE CREPERIE CAFE OPEN MIC FEATURE HAPPY INDIEPOP HEARTACHES GEORGE WOODS April 12th @ 7pm georgewoodsmusic.com for more info Community workshops happening this spring — Register now! The Importance of Translation and Interpretation for Achieving the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals Community Talk with Lori Thicke Canadian author, entrepreneur, and founder of Translators without Borders Thursday, April 18, 5-6pm Middlebury Institute of International Studies McCone, Irvine Auditorium, 499 Pierce Street, Monterey To register: go.miis.edu/tylertalk2024 Zoom option available Sponsored by the William H. and Susanne Tyler Visiting Fellowship in Residence Fund
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