Anyone who suggests that rock n’ roll is somehow dead or no longer relevant to popular interests in 2022 really isn’t keeping up with the pace of the underground, as there’s unquestionably more love for rock now than there has been in the last generation – largely because of the underground. Acts like Count Pariah are out to give a little bit of vitality back to what was once the biggest style of music on the planet, and in their new single “Paranoia,” they make a strong case for being one of the best young acts in their scene at the moment.
This beat is pretty pushy, which isn’t something I normally go for in an alternative rock tune, but it works for a couple of different reasons. Count Pariah are groove-inclined, otherwise I don’t know that they would be getting after the tonal balance in the mix as much as they do. There’s something potent about their manipulation of the beat, and it’s obvious even to the untrained ear that this is a band capable of truly cutting loose when they get onto the stage and have nothing separating their sonic force from the audience it was always meant to satisfy.
This master mix is forgiving of the collage-style arrangement Count Pariah decided to employ here, and although it’s not the end of the world or anything, they could probably stand to clean up their control of the harmonies in a future release. They’re a little scattered on the melodic front, but this doesn’t hurt them in “Paranoia;” contrarily, it gives them the messy, punkish edge that would have been missing from this performance had they not decided to take things away from conventionality and towards more of a raw look. Can it sustain in another release? Probably not, but at this point, no one knows how far this cheeky outfit could go.
Count Pariah is not on top of the charts right now and still has a long way to go before they can claim dominance over their local scene, but they’re certainly keeping the rock n’ roll flame lit with a lot more passion than I have had the chance to review out of neighboring indie circuits in quite some time. They’ve got the attitude and the persona to do some serious damage here, and now it’s just a matter of putting their premise into action with the right melodies.
