Private Lives: Hit Record 12″

Description

The debut album from Private Lives is a bold proclamation – ‘HIT RECORD’. From their humble beginnings as a quarantine bedroom project to the full-fledged rock’n’roll unit they’ve become, Private Lives set up ten tracks and strike ’em down in one smooth release.

Part of the current wave of Montral underground talent alongside Tha Retail Simps, Hlne Barbier, and Liquid Assets (to name a few) – Private Lives debuted in 2022 with their scorching self-titled EP on Feel It. Those five cuts are stitched into PL’s vinyl debut, re-sequenced with new material that finds the four piece at the height of their collective powers. With Jackie Blenkarn’s cool and confident vocals riding high in the mix, the group hammer out an impressive debut full length anchored by the strength of “Trust In Me”, “Misfortune”, and the title track, “Hit Record”. There’s not a moment of hesitation across these twenty-seven minutes.

Whether it’s the overarching simplicity of the r’n’r/garage-mined guitars, underlying pop charm, or deeper post-punk melodies – ‘HIT RECORD’ is both cathartic and familiar – a truly impressive combination of heart-meets-cool. As Private Lives wind the album away in the psychotic build of “Dark Spots”, the Quebec quartet leave us with a captivating debut that begs to be spun again and again.

Our take: Hit Record is the boldly named debut full-length from this Quebecois band. While its up to the world to decide if the title is ironic or not, I can confirm that Hit Record is, if nothing else, an excellent underground pop album. Feel It Records has been staking out this lane of hooky underground rock music, punk-inspired but not punk in the mohawks and leather sense, and Private Lives are a perfect fit. Their songs are brash and energetic, played with grit, but with big hooks you cant ignore and a vocalist you just want to sing along with. They remind me of so many bands who live in that space between punk and pure pop the Busy Signals, early Midnite Snaxxx (which reminds me, theres some 60s girl group in Private Lives sound too) the Exploding Hearts, the Real Kids I hear parts of Private Lives that remind me of all those bands, but the through-line is a take on rootsy power-pop that doesnt lean on nostalgia, but places the emphasis the pure pleasure of a great hook.