It’s always interesting to see a musician leave a city in which he or she made a name for him or herself, and then go somewhere else to still keep on writing fantastic music. That’s what happened to Chris Rosenquest, who Providence music scene vets probably remember from his time with indie rock act The Tower and The Fool and a batch of solo material. Rosenquest moved up to Vermont recently and joined up with Windsor rock and rollers The Pilgrims, who just happened to be in need of a new frontman. From this union of musicians comes the Shred Savage EP, out today via What Doth Life, and it’s the band’s first release with Rosenquest on vocals.
The release has Rosenquest’s honest songwriting that tells it like it is with the rest of the band bringing an electrifying dose of riffs and rhythms. There’s also a pop sensibility present with each song having catchy lyrics along with telling a story. It has a lot of angst and emotion with songs evoking a person getting older, facing their own mortality while trying to hold on to their youth. With that being present, The Pilgrims’ new EP can be as relatable to the dad in his mid 40s as to the kid in his 20s still trying to figure out the intricacies of the real world.
An anthem for individualism and just being yourself, “Weird” has a subtle amount of keys that lead up to a thunderous chorus. With a nice groove coming from the guitars, “Cool. Dad” tells a high school love story about old band t-shirts and drinking beers in the passenger seat. “The Man’s Best Friend” has a wonderful catchiness to it with Rosenquest singing about getting older and the changing of the times. There’s even an a capella part that might catch you off guard. You’re bound to dig the scorching guitar solo in “Smokes Too Much”, it makes the track a tad different from the others while also giving it a lot of grit. Jazzy tones on “Attitude City” give the song a laid back feel but then halfway through everything changes to being an aggressive riff fest. We can all relate to running out of money and “Wallet” is all about that with a distinct Cheap Trick influence all throughout the track.
The Pilgrims will be celebrating the release of Shred Savage tonight at the Main Street Museum in White River Junction with Tallahassee’s Brian Barthelmes and indie rockers Faux In Love. It looks like it’s going to be a blast so anyone in northern New England should make it part of their Friday night plans. Before the show, stream Shred Savage below.
