Banquets
Petty Relics
(Black Numbers)
3/5
Banquets are a New Jersey four-piece indie-punk band who released their third album, Spit at the Sun, and played what they thought were their final performances in 2016. But they reunited in 2021 and now have made a return with Petty Relics—an album about getting older while still having a youthful passion.
The songs on Petty Relics embody a classic indie-punk sound. My favourites include opener “Glitter Gone” and “Restless,” the former having a great hook to keep me listening, and the latter being the final song, tying the whole album together in a satisfying conclusion.
But a month from now, if I were to be asked to pick out one of the songs from the album in a mix with songs from other indie-punk bands, I don’t think I’d be able to.
A few songs felt too short; others felt longer than they should be. The lyrics sometimes felt clunky and difficult to sing along to.
As a young person, the album’s themes failed to move me, although this may be no fault of the band’s. If I were older, perhaps I would be able to better relate. However, despite this, the music itself is well put together, with a classic sound that would go well on your indie-punk playlist.
Petty Relics is likely to be the last album from Banquets, which is unfortunate because I’d love to hear more of their music and see how they could evolve and add a spin to the indie-punk genre. I’d also love to see them perform live. I think seeing them would elevate their music in a way that headphones can’t replicate.
I recommend having a listen to Petty Relics; the album is short, with 11 songs ranging from a minute and a half to four minutes long.
I’ll definitely be going to check out their older albums to see how they compare to Petty Relics. And maybe I’ll find a few new favourite songs.