“Shirt” is Weird, Urgent, and Best Heard Live
Alison Kaiser
She/Her
Opinions Editor
10/23/24
There’s a silence over everyone in the Sinclair as we all hold our breath in anticipation of the last song in the encore. This is the end, for real this time- the next few notes will determine whether or not the hope you’ve been holding onto was worth it. And when Porches sang the first words to “Country’, my sibling Audrey and I nearly collapsed into each other’s arms in disbelief. The song starts slow, just vocals over a bright synth note. It’s one of those tracks where the chorus hits all at once and when we were at the full band, symbols crashing peak of it all he took off his shirt as he yelled “Can you make it light? Can you do no harm?” Not to get a reaction from the crowd (which he did) but as a release of energy.
Porches, also known as New York City native Aaron Maine, has always been a freak. It’s part of his charm and perhaps a key characteristic of a good synth pop artist. “Shirt”, released September 13, is his weirdest album yet. It’s twinged with something darker than previous releases- Maine says it is his ‘mid-life crisis album’ and the subtle nods to self doubt, imaginary friends and the occult certainly come off that way. Aside from the unsettling lyricism, the album is also noticeably slow. There are some bangers, sure, (“Rag,” “Itch,” “Crying at the End”), but there’s a soft existentialism to tracks like “Precious”, “Voices in my head” and “USA” that is new- but feels natural. The first time I listened to it, I was disappointed. Since going to the show, it’s been on repeat.
I could tell Maine is tired- not just because he couldn’t remember what day it was and gave up, instead inventing a new day of the week called ‘funday’ when thanking the crowd for coming out. When he played ‘Music’, an honest confession of his relationship to the industry, he stared wistfully into nothingness as he softly sang the last lines “All my life/ All I’ve known/ All it was was rock ‘n’ roll/ And it was never meant to last/ And I think it’s time to go/ I pray to God the music takes me home.” He was standing at the edge of the stage with one foot up on the monitor, leaning over the crowd with his microphone still pressed to his lips as the spotlight slowly faded out.
Though he is currently touring for “Shirt”, the majority of songs he played were from 2021’s “All Day Gentle Hold!”This is my favorite Porches album, and it was a privilege to witness how Maine’s relationship to the songs has evolved over the past three years. Upbeat songs like “Lately,” “Okay,” and “Swarovski” had a heavier edge that felt cathartic. He took every opportunity to scream a chorus with a perfectly cracked voice, the tempo of each song just a little more urgent. Audrey and I were wide eyed at each opening lyric as if to say (and sometimes verbally scream) no fucking way.
In my old age of 23 I’ve developed a rule for shows where I only take out my earplugs for my favorite songs; if there’s something new I don’t know, a song I don’t connect with, I’ll listen through an inch of foam. For the good songs, hearing damage is a small price to pay. At the Porches show, I never put them in. Before playing ‘Comedown song / Gunk’ Maine said to the audience “If you got earplugs take ‘em out for these last two- fuck these earplugs. You gotta protect yourself but Jesus Christ you gotta live your life too”. I realized in that moment how focused I’ve been lately, how much I needed a break to see a show with the person I love the most and feel centered again. To see an artist I’ve listened to for years, and reflect on all the ways we’ve changed.