Shortly after the release of their hotly anticipated debut *Headbangers in Ecstasy**, *Puro Instinct unlocked the highest level of achievement for a Los Angeles buzz band in 2011: Haunted Graffiti played the 16th birthday party of guitarist/vocalist Skylar Kaplan at Wombleton Records in Highland Park. The duo have barely released any music since, and even in the past few months, there are stark reminders of the distance between “Los Angeles indie rock in 2011” and the current day: the imminent demolition of the Smell, lackluster records from now-veteran peers Nite Jewel and fellow sister act Bleached, an eerie lack of news on Ariel Pink’s latest antics. Moreover, *Headbangers in Ecstasy'*s then-fashionable ambition to find the hazy overlap between 4AD and MTV in the ’80s is pretty much de rigueur at this point. But the lack of hype surrounding Puro Instinct this time around actually works towards their advantage: having improved in every aspect over the past five years, they can sound new again on the surprisingly crafty Autodrama.
Puro Instinct have modernized in an important way, which is that they’ve internalized the relatively recent inversion of the long-assumed maturation process of music nerds: Slowdive, Pale Saints and the like were their teenage discoveries, now Piper and Skylar Kaplan are pop music advocates. That said, no one will confuse the Kaplan sisters with Haim; only the shawl-twisting mysticism of “Six of Swords” and “Scorpio Rising” (“Time is just a slap on the wrist/to the bastard child of Genesis”) bear the hint of Fleetwood Mac ca. *Tango in the Night. *
*Autodrama *is largely self-produced with assistance from Sam Mehran, who appears to appreciate the misty, immersive qualities of reverb as much as his former Test Icicles bandmate Dev Hynes. As much as they vouch for Katy Perry, Piper and Skylar aren’t *big *vocalists, and these songs aren’t meant to be belted out anyways. The melodies and production are both tiny and a little tinny, pop music more reminiscent of the hi-NRG or freestyle hits you were more likely to hear at any given roller rink in the ’90s than a hockey arena.
While Puro Instinct’s newfound confidence allows the hooks to protrude from the mix rather than recede behind a smeared lens, this also means their lesser ideas are also given more prominence. “Twelve dead Americans/Young and dumb, full of cum, holding smoking guns/Stuffed into body bags/Stack ’em up, send ’em off, let God sort ’em out” is a lyric that would be jarring in any context, more so within an album with an otherwise entirely insular focus and a genre that’s almost invariably apolitical. But even if “End of an Era” is Puro Instinct at their most #woke, the song itself is an Ambien-laced plod, the vocals just *enough *off the beat to sound like an irritating tic rather than an intentional choice. Inexplicably, this quality carries over to the equally momentum-killing title track.
At the very least, “End of an Era” is a disturbance to *Autodrama’s *surface-level shimmer and proof of Puro Instinct making an effort to provide depth. The Kaplans are just as referential as they were on *Headbangers in Ecstasy, *though there’s more discernible substance. Yes, “Panarchy” is a pun on the wild stereo mixing techniques on the opening track, and it’s also a nod to the concept of choosing whatever form of governance you want without limitations of geography. It’s easy to hear what they're getting at, given the Kaplans’ disillusionment with the music industry after the underwhelming performance of Headbangers in Ecstasy. The remaining emotional state of *Autodrama *is murkier: “What You See” recasts “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds” as a DJ Khaled-esque exercise in visualizing success, while the outlook of “Peccavi” is more attributable to Homer Simpson: trying is the first step towards failure.
Somehow, these don’t feel like contradictory viewpoints on a record mostly concerned with the blowback from vulnerability. And according to the actual Six of Swords tarot card inspiring the song of the same name here, they're not. It’s otherwise known as the “Slough of Despond,” more of an emotional and physical divot than a depression. If it appears reversed when pulled, the Six of Swords signifies a choice to wallow in misery. When upright, it provides the promise Puro Instinct so deeply desire on Autodrama: being able to move forward, even in a less than ideal situation.
