Band Review: Patent Pending

Back when I reviewed Science, somewhere among the web pages there was a link to Patent Pending. Because Science was so good, and because I had found a lot of music that I liked among bands from New Jersey and Long Island (which sometimes seems more New Jersey than York -- I could be wrong), I added Patent Pending to the review list.

This add happened at a time when I didn't get to recommended bands very often, so they were on the list for a few years with me meaning to get to them. Then they followed me on Twitter, which automatically put them on the regular review list, except should they get bumped up because I had been meaning to review them for so long? Then they unfollowed me really quickly, making that a "no" (because I can be petty sometimes). Nonetheless it is finally time to review Patent Pending!

Let me give just a little more context. Back when they followed me, I believe it was at a time that I was writing a lot about emo and doing daily songs from emo bands. I believe that led to the follow, because it happened at the same time that Dustin Phillips of The Ataris followed me. I mention that because - while the band identifies simply as punk - what I like and dislike about Patent Pending feels like it fits within my understanding of emo.

I want to give credit where credit is due. Sometimes emo is associated with a poor level of playing skill, and I am absolutely not saying that about Patent Pending. They play well, and they are pretty catchy, and there is nothing wrong with their musicianship.

It's just the immaturity that gets to me.

It especially gets to me because so much of it is going in a misogynistic direction.

I don't necessarily think it's sincere either. The band members seem pretty likable and concerned with their fans, and when they have songs that are a little more serious the sincerity there feels different. Still, I recently read a quote by Kurt Vonnegut: "We are what we pretend to be, so we must be careful about what we pretend to be." So even if you are only pretending to be the insecure losers picked on by douchebags and rejected by plastic girls, that is still ultimately what you are putting out there.

The band is proud of holding onto their DIY ethic, which I respect. There is a lot of value in reducing environmental impact, avoiding materialism, and learning how to do different things. If it becomes a rejection of other people, though, and a reason for looking down on them, that's less valuable. It's also something that it would be reasonable to grow out of at some point.

The quick version of that is that I have been wanting and intending to like Patent Pending for a long time, but I can't quite do it, even while understanding why they would appeal to others.

http://patentpendingmusic.com/

https://www.facebook.com/patentpendingmusic/

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYYrdRso8ZaQhxke1vnfJmw

https://twitter.com/PTPGOfficial