Reunions - Winter Heart, Summer Skin
Fans of punk that grew up on Americana will find great comfort in Reunions' Winter Heart, Summer Skin
One of the fondest memories of my nascent journey into the punk underground was discovering bands in the pre-digital age. Word of mouth was most common, but sometimes the most rewarding was always discovering bands on your own; from the thank you's in liner notes, to random compilations by labels you knew, to buying a record because you recognized the label or had seen an ad for it in your favorite zine. They were all a means to an end, because the conclusion of discovering great music was always the reward no matter how you got there.
San Francisco rock band Reunions are a band that I didn't discover through liner notes and thank you's. But their music, cut from emotionally charged Midwestern emo sound that made household names of bands like Braid and Mineral, have flung me back into a time long ago where finding a new band meant the world. While they've got some roots in those Midwest bands; this West Coast band have taken that and injected it with the sounds of troubadour punk we've seen come to the forefront by bands like Red City Radio and The Menzingers. You cannot escape the pull of songs like the fantastic, wistful opening of "Light Left On" or the (ironically titled as this review goes) "Sentimentality is for Suckers". The slow build up of "An Endless Night a Century", as it arcs towards its crescendo, is just a beautiful, aching song. It is perhaps the album's finest moment. Winter Heart, Summer Skin closes with (also ironically titled as this review goes) "I Need An Editor"; a song punctuated by coarse vocals and the deep bassline hum. It's a near-perfect closer, and like much of the album, is powered by workhorse sentiments and a no frills, no fuss attitude that makes this record one that feels genuine and down to Earth.
In the end there is plenty to like about Winter Heart, Summer Skin. It's a record that evokes a lot of nostalgia even if that is not the intention. Fans of punk that grew up on Americana will find great comfort in Winter Heart, Summer Skin- like a good road trip that you've taken before and are happy to take again.
Even though I didn’t discover Reunions from liner notes or from a mixtape my friend made me, their album brings the same kind of happiness; proof that in the end, good music is good no matter how you discover it.