Pistachio

‘Pistachio’ is the album’s peak, and it earns that position by doing something genuinely unlikely: running at a high tempo in 3/4 waltz time while somehow feeling like a funk-rock strut. It shouldn’t work, but PCBender pulls it off with ease. The clean lead guitar does most of the talking, trading blues-inflected phrases with a rhythm section that locks in tight and punctuates hard, giving the whole thing the feel of a live studio conversation where everyone is listening. Coming off the major-key swagger of ‘Wenge,’ this track takes that energy and accelerates it, and the stops land with real confidence. It’s the kind of track that rewards a second listen once you notice how much negative space the band is using. A fine showcase of PCBender’s instinct for letting a guitar line breathe, and the moment the album has been building toward.