By including abstract structures, accentuating lyrics, and no fear of releasing vociferous sounds, Providence alt-punks Snowplows bring a fervent approach. The quartet is the epitome of a collaborative with there being no principal songwriter and no singular frontman. Jesse Marsh and Matt Desmarais share vocal duties while Marsh handles rhythm guitar and Desmarais is on bass. Patrick Boutwell, who locals might know as the frontman of indie rock act The Brother Kite, shows his immaculate skills on drums and Brian Williams brings something different to the table while on lead guitar. Together they make an uncanny rigid sound that many bands in Providence can’t match.
That brings us to the band’s debut full length Hold This For Me, an 11-track rapid fire record that doesn’t let up. Nothing is soft on this album; it’s hard-hitting music that’s bound to shake the walls once you let it roar through your speakers. Evocative of Fugazi and Les Savy Fav, there is consistent force from start to finish while also being immaculately complex. At first listen you don’t know what to expect as each second passes by. The unpredictability of it all makes for an even more enjoyable listening experience. There’s no blandness in Snowplows’ debut and that’s where its musical beauty lies.
A track that has been part of the band’s repertoire since the beginning, “Good Times” will immediately give you a potent rush right when Boutwell hits that first downbeat. “Old Bay Season” is fast paced and rhythmic with a driving sense of vigor coming from Marsh’s and Williams’ guitars. The way “People Person” starts is with a lot of feedback and then it instantly revs up like the engine of a hot rod. It’s an honest song about interactions and relationships that even the most anti-social types can relate to. Lashing out at authority, “Honesty” gives the finger to the establishment and the status quo with emphasis.
Snowplows will be celebrating the vinyl release of Hold This For Me tonight at AS220 on 115 Empire St. in downtown Providence, leading a stellar bill of math thrashers Ask The Dead, angsty punks Public Policy, and Philadelphia garage emo weirdos Left & Right. It’s a stacked night that promises not to disappoint. Until the show, stream the album below and then grab a physical copy when you hit up the merch tables.
