Will Shenton
Whenever you come across a new band and your first thought is, "wow, they sure sound like Sebadoh!" your second thought is almost certainly going to be, "I guess they're from the Pacific Northwest!" PDX-based Pass are no exception, but on their new video "Ways Out," their goofy slacker aesthetic is just self-aware enough to keep from being clichéd.
The video follows the friends as they rock out in their basement, smoke weed, drink beer from a cardboard box, and generally dick around the house—it's everything the '90s taught us was cool, and you can't help but be swept up in the nostalgia it evokes. The band's sense of humor (the video ends with one of them stir-frying an empty PBR can, some cigarettes, and an entire jar of some McCormick spice or other) is infectious, and while it's certainly a bit overwrought at times, you can't help but laugh along.
All of that ignores the song itself, which is a fantastic throwback rocker, reminiscent of some of our favorite alternative legends. There are hints of Dinosaur, Jr. and Built to Spill throughout, and the vocals especially are spot-on. That said, Pass' personality is plenty original, and we're excited to see where they go from here.