Pinched. - "Pinched." | New Music

Nothing says Valentine's Day more than melancholic acoustic-based indie rock. Enter Pinched., the solo record project headed up by Gregory Siganos. The project has since moved away from performing as a live band; however, it continues in the way that Siganos conceived it - a creator with a few mics and a copy of ProTools. Following up their 2018 record Life, Pinched.'s new self-titled three-song EP has some of Siganos' most experimental moments in the band's recent catalog.

"Pinched." plays out like we are listening to one side of a conversation. This doesn't become apparent until the second half of the EPs opener, "Feel." In the reprieve before the second verse, we hear audio of a crowd. It's there that Siganos pleads with the antagonist singing, "Lately, can't you see / the things you do are killing me" before following it up with the retort "That's fair / I don't care / I'll take my business on elsewhere." The conversation continues into "Sorry" where methodical statements give way as thoughts and feelings come out in a stream of consciousness. Finally, we wrap up looking for a sense of comfort even if its not completely accurate with "Lie."

Much like the previous song, "Lie" finishes with a sound collage as Siganos blends the rawness of field recordings with a little polished studio magic. Pulsing synth pads turn into electrical clicks and hisses before ending on a sample of an acoustic guitar that sounds like its being played back on a worn-out cassette tape. While dense, the arrangements on these songs never feel cluttered. It's not there to just make but instead feels very musical with how the samples are placed with the synths to create such an encompassing soundscape. 

"Pinched." by Pinched. is out now. You can find a link to the Bandcamp page below.