The Pauses’ sophomore album recently released by Arctic Rodeo Recordings. The full-length was Produced by the legendary J. Robbins, and is available to stream & purchase on Bandcamp. Robbins’ influence can be heard in the heavier guitar propulsion that churns under the allure of the electronic ear candy on the surface. This combination live makes dancing feel like a decision the whole room made at once. The Pauses hit the road, starting August 13th in Hamden, CT.

On the new album, the band has evolved their collaborative songwriting, and few tracks show the pop heft of that effort as well as the LP’s lead single, “Digital Detox.” It slams you almost like a wall of sound, with Tough’s typically clear-as-a-bell vocal distorted to great effect, evoking ‘60s girl groups with warped sensibilities. Trumpets, timpani, cello, theremin and electronic elements are called upon to create The Pauses’ authentic sound, and then whisked away to allow the vocals space, as in the sparse, unusual dreamscape on “Had/Have.”

Other times, the sound can bound in bilateral increments, like the playful piano to guitar crush of “The Means.” Their range is key, with loud, live rockers like “Don’t Wake Me Up” and “Animus?”, which is particularly intense as it dangles wildly at the album’s end and concludes, “What a way to feel nothing real.” That line evokes an overarching theme of the album, which gazes into the black mirror and is smart enough not to take it seriously. Songs like “Eventually, Everything Connects,” “Digital Detox” and “Don’t Wake Me Up” suggest a rebellion against the online drone, with lines that invite you to throw your arms up and sing out, “I don’t need the details shoved down my throat.”

The Pauses
Tour Dates

8/10 Hamden, CT @ The Space *
8/11 Baltimore, MD @ Ottobar *
8/12 Philadelphia, PA @ Boot & Saddle *
8/13 Richmond, VA @ Capital Ale House *
8/14 Greenville, SC @ Radio Room *
8/15 Jacksonville, FL Jack Rabbits *
8/16 Orlando, FL @ Wills Pub *
8/17 Tampa, FL @ Microgroove *
8/18 Atlanta, GA @ The Masquerade *
8/20 Austin, TX @ Come and Take It Live *
8/21 Dallas, TX @ The Prophet Bar *
8/22 Houston, TX @ Continental Club *
8/23 Little Rock, AR @ White Water Tavern *
8/24 Kansas City, MO @ Josey Records *
8/25 Chicago, IL @ SubT Downstairs *
8/26 Detroit, MI @ Pike Room *
8/27 Grand Rapids, MI @ Pyramid Scheme *
8/28 Pittsburgh, PA @ The Funhouse *
8/29 Rochester, NY @ Photo City *
8/30 NYC, NY @ Mercury Lounge *
8/31 Worcester, MA @ Ralph’s Rock Diner *
9/8 St. Augustine, FL @ Sing Out Loud Festival

* w/ Jonah Matranga