Attachment Issues
Jessica Pratt released the best album of the first half of 2024.
If you ever get the chance to explore my record collection, a trend quickly becomes apparent. I get attached. Fixated. Obsessed. There are certain musicians, bands–even labels–I’ll support almost without exception. If they put something new out, I’m going to pre-order it as soon as the first single drops. Here are a few examples over the last decade or so: Jeff Parker, Sonny & The Sunsets, Jenn Wasner and Wye Oak, Terry Allen, Brittany Howard, Bill Callahan, and Eleanor Friedberger. There are others. Before he drank himself to death, Richard Swift could’ve released a reel-to-reel of fart noises, and I would’ve been first in line on release day.
As soon as Jessica Pratt released her debut, self-titled LP in 2012, I knew she was an artist whose creative pursuits I would follow to the ends of the earth. The story goes Tim Presley, best known for his work as White Fence, obtained the recordings that would comprise Pratt’s debut and listened to them on repeat until he was so enamored he launched Birth Records just to ensure they found a wider audience.
12 years later we’re hearing the culmination of the project Presley and Pratt birthed. On May 3, Pratt released her fourth record, Here in the Pitch on Mexican Summer, her first release in five years. I knew when the first single “Life Is” dropped in early March, we were in for something special. From the opening Phil Spectoresque drumbeat, it was clear Pratt was entering new territory.
Astonishingly, the rest of Here in the Pitch holds up to the impossible bar she set on “Life Is.” In just 27 minutes, Pratt has crafted a record that will be tough to top this year. Fortunately, everyone else still has some time. In an era where the gluttony of the double LP has become ubiquitous, we should all take this moment to appreciate the craftsmanship required to create something so concise.
The streaming era has rendered heavy-handed editors obsolete. That can come with perks, to be sure. As listeners, we’re often treated to every alternate take, demo, live cut, and revision as artists push out an endless stream of content to remain relevant and rack up more streams. But it can feel like drinking from a firehose. The time and precision Pratt put into Here in the Pitch is remarkable. I’m sure a lot was left on the cutting table as she whittled this record down to a 27-minute masterstroke.
Sure, I can grow attached to the artists I collect and listen to with regularity. I think it’s a natural extension of any form of collecting or compulsive behavior. I hope it’s a (mostly) healthy habit, despite the considerable damage it inflicts upon my bank account. We should support and encourage the things we want to see more of in this world. And I certainly hope we hear more for Jessica Pratt soon. No rush for now. I’ll be sitting with Here in the Pitch for the foreseeable future.
Further Reading:
Album Review: Here in the Pitch by Jeremy D. Larson via Pitchfork
Jessica Pratt nods to Beach Boys and Jazz on new album by Steffanee Wang via NYLON
We listened to this record after a long morning hike while driving up the California coast. Everyone was tired and silent. I spent the 27 minutes floating in a dream state, and it's something I will never forget.