The Reds, Pinks and Purples

What the world needs is a new dose of heavy-hearted indie pop from The Reds, Pinks and Purples. If the past five years have taught me anything, it’s that Glenn Donaldson may be the defining voice of what it feels like to hang resigned disappointment on a person in the 2020s. Where past albums may have dealt with heartbreak and hubris, this time Donaldson takes aim at working in music in the modern age. Fandom, frustration, and faith in the best intentions of the listening populace collide with strains of Felt, The Go-Betweens, and East River Pipe on Unwishing Well. Glenn’s got a few gentle axes to grind, and with good reason. The press cycle is a mess, radio’s turned its back, streaming was always a scam, the socials are a hornet’s nest, and even when you connect, it’s the songs you’d rather retract that get the glory.

“There must be something more,” intones Glenn on “Dead Stars in Your Eyes.” In a world that’s unrelenting, it feels that way. The arts are supposed to be our refuge. When did it become such work to wax nostalgic? When did the muses get so muted? The greatest indie pop voices have, more often than not, been overwhelmed, subsumed by their surroundings, distracted by the distance of desire. Unwishing Well follows in this tradition, an aching, wounded album caught in clouds of effected guitar and gauzy atmospheres, wondering where it all went wrong. Love leaves the deepest stars, but as the wolf of capitalism devours our darlings, there’s more than one way to break your heart.

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