BLACK VINYL LP.
"Blum’s early music, such as 2010’s self-released Every Time You Go Somewhere, was mostly acoustic folk, embellished with violin, harmonica, and even toy piano; they’ve now moved into potent pop-punk. If the electric guitar had evolved into a supporting actor by Blum’s last album, 2016’s You Look a Lot Like Me, then it’s the lead on Pity Boy—complete with mixing by Hop Along guitarist Joe Reinhart. If there are any weak points in Pity Boy, they come when Blum’s voice strains, but their lyrics—the album’s centerpiece—mitigate that weakness. The New York singer-songwriter shifts from acoustic folk into potent pop-punk that recalls both Hop Along and Titus Andronicus."