{"id":1845,"date":"2025-07-26T10:55:11","date_gmt":"2025-07-26T14:55:11","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/arouseosu.com\/home\/?p=1845"},"modified":"2025-07-30T10:47:52","modified_gmt":"2025-07-30T14:47:52","slug":"porches-spreading-the-gospel-of-the-god-pill","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/arouseosu.com\/home\/index.php\/2025\/07\/26\/porches-spreading-the-gospel-of-the-god-pill\/","title":{"rendered":"Porches: Spreading the Gospel of the God Pill"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

On Saturday, May 31st, Porches swung through Columbus\u2019 Kemba Live! supporting Wallows. This show comes six months after the release of their most recent album, \u201cShirt,\u201d in September of 2024, and just two weeks after the May 16th triple release of EPs Je T\u2019aime<\/em>, Summer of Ten<\/em>, and Scrap and Love Songs Revisited<\/em>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

On this unseasonably balmy night of 70 degrees and low humidity, a rising pink moon rose over a cloudless sky, replacing the setting sun as Porches took Kemba Live!\u2019s outdoor stage. The touring outfit is a trio, with singer Aaron Maine (Porches\u2019 sole songwriter), guitarist Dan English, and drummer Max Freedberg. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I was surprised by their lack of visuals because Maine\u2019s strong online visual aesthetic is part of what initially attracted me to the band. Despite this, I walked out of the show satisfied because Porches sounded and looked great. They had that particular cool look that\u2014even if I hadn\u2019t known that they were based in New York\u2014I think I would have still been able to guess.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The band also had great stage chemistry, although I can only speak to what I saw of English and Maine rocking out, as I could only catch faint glimpses of Freedberg, who was seated at his drum kit and not atop a platform. Nevertheless, he made his presence known with masterful drumming on songs such as \u201cBread Believer,\u201d which, at an unrelenting near-metal tempo of 150 BPM, sounded like it would be difficult to play without getting a cramp. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Porches played thirteen songs: four from 2021\u2019s All Day Gentle Hold!<\/em>, and a piece each from 2020\u2019s Ricky Music<\/em>, 2016\u2019s Pool<\/em>, and this year\u2019s Scraps of Love Songs Revisited<\/em> EP. In addition, they played five tracks off most-recently released LP, Shirt<\/em>, including \u201cBread Believer,\u201d \u201cRag,\u201d \u201cJoker,\u201d \u201cItch,\u201d and \u201cUSA,\u201d as well as \u201clunch\u201d from the Shirt expansion pack<\/em>, released in April. This album features a variety of repeating motifs, resulting in an obsessive vibe that gives the listener the feeling of being within the head of someone going through a dark, confusing time. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some of the more prominent repetitions in Shirt<\/em> include landscape features, animals, flesh, violence, childhood, a girl named Sally, religion, and the God Pill, <\/em>making up a dizzying yet compelling story of fear, hate, love, and desperation. With lines between reality and fantasy blurred, the listener is left immersed in an idyllic, dream-like world that feels real when it isn\u2019t. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Porches has general appeal, with his sound falling within the realm of alternative rock\/pop. Familiar elements in the music are inviting to new audiences, and a few standout peculiarities serve as a further invitation to return and listen deeper. While Porches sound would not be considered \u2018scary\u2019 by most, the lyrics can often fall within the chilling to haunting spectrum. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I equated Wallow\u2019s choice of Porches as their opening act to similar soft pop production, although Porches\u2019 sound is decidedly more downbeat and distressed. However, Porches played a significantly stripped show, leaving the many production elements \u2014 as well the bass guitar and keyboard \u2014 in the studio. This contrast proved to be alluring to young fans, as Wallows\u2019 teenage crowd was quick to warm to Porches, with several in my proximity likening Maine to Kurt Cobain. By the end of the set, the whole pit seemed to sway as fans waved their flashlights to \u201cDaddies.\u201d I have never seen a crowd receive an opening act with the enthusiasm that Porches received during their set. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A Porches show provides a distinct live experience, going beyond that of their recorded material. The lack of live bass and keys creates a raw tone that feels more personal and provides a better feeling for the emotion behind the music. I left this concert liking Porches more, and I had came in as a fan. Especially considering how much great material he has released in the past year, I would love to see Porches back and headlining a show in Columbus soon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

SETLIST:<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
  1. Okay<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. Bread Believer<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. Rag<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  4. Joker<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  5. Swarovski<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  6. Lunch<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  7. Itch<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  8. watergetsinside<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  9. USA (x2)<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  10. Comedown (Gunk)<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  11. Car<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  12. rangerover<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  13. Daddies<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n


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    On Saturday, May 31st, Porches swung through Columbus\u2019 Kemba Live! supporting Wallows. This show comes six months after the release of their most recent album, \u201cShirt,\u201d in September of 2024, and just two weeks after the May 16th triple release of EPs Je T\u2019aime, Summer of Ten, and Scrap and Love Songs Revisited.  On this […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":31,"featured_media":1846,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[24,25,27,19],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/arouseosu.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1845"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/arouseosu.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/arouseosu.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/arouseosu.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/31"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/arouseosu.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1845"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"http:\/\/arouseosu.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1845\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1854,"href":"http:\/\/arouseosu.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1845\/revisions\/1854"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/arouseosu.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1846"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/arouseosu.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1845"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/arouseosu.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1845"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/arouseosu.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1845"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}