Protomartyr follow-up their critically acclaimed Domino debut, Relatives In Descent (2017) with the ConsolationEP, a 4-track collection of new material recorded in collaboration with Kelley Deal (The Breeders) and Mike Montgomery (R. Ring, Ampline). Captured at Montgomery's own studio, Candyland, the EP encapsulates the breadth of mood and stylistic variety of a full-length Protomartyr album - from the short sharp shock of the opener "Wait," through the mutant pop of "Same Face In A Different Mirror," the epic "Wheel of Fortune," to the beautiful closer "You Always Win." Add to this Montgomery'ss recording skills, Deal's unparalleled vocals, and the arrangements that see the inclusion of Jocelyn Hatch (viola), Evan Ziporyn (bass clarinet), and Lori Goldston(cello), and the EP becomes a truly unique prospect in Protomartyr's discography.

Our take: I must admit that I’ve been hot and cold on Protomartyr lately. I’ve listened to their records as they came out (we even carried their early singles back when they were first released) and loved everything up to Under Color of Official Right, but then they started to lose me. The The Agent Intellect and Relatives in Descent are rather dour records… they were extremely dark, and I’m not sure if iall of that darkness was too much for me or if I was just not interested in hearing something so not punk, but those records never clicked with me like the earlier ones did. Further, while I’ve always loved the band’s ambition, parts of those latter two records may have crossed the line between ambitious and pretentious. That’s not meant to be a slight against those records… many of my favorite records of all time are so heady and such intense listening experiences I barely ever listen to them. I never put on Joy Division’s Closer or Wire’s 154 unless I’m in exactly the right mood, but I know that when I am in that mood they will hit me hard. Anyway, the four tracks on Consolation are something of a retreat from the depths of darkness probed on the last two LPs. There’s more of a spring in the band’s step, the tempos are sprightlier, and the arrangements are denser, without the vast, open spaces of their recent stuff (which is another thing that those records have in common with Closer). Adding Kelly Deal from the Breeders on backing vocals is also great. It’s like a trump card in the band’s back pocket… whenever Kelly’s voice pops into the mix my ears perk up and I stop whatever I’m doing and just listen. If you’ve also drifted away from Protomartyr this is a good place to jump back aboard, as these four tracks won’t overstay their welcome, and they’ll also remind you of why we all flipped for this band in the first place.