Love? Said The Commander - “Pick Me Up”

Words by Zach Romano

Philadelphia duo Love? Said The Commander have released their third EP, titled Pick Me Up. This release is L?STC’s most confident yet, and it is my favorite thing they’ve done. When Kate Hall and Chris Bishop met via Craigslist a few years ago, they quickly landed on a formula that worked very well for them: Hall strums and sings, and Bishop accents and accompanies on his electric SG. They used this to great effect on their first two EPs, but on the five songs that make up Pick Me Up, the duo build on what they’ve done in the past to achieve a sound that is fuller and even more them.

“The Way You Make Me Feel,” the second track on the EP is perhaps the best example of L?STC’s growth: the strums from previous releases are replaced with a guitar loop alongside a plucked violin that immediately brings Andrew Bird to mind. Hall’s violin takes center stage on the EP, and on “Roll the Windows Down” it seems almost like a roar against a restrained bassline. On opener “Because, I Love You,” Bishop trades the SG for what sounds like a nylon-stringed acoustic for a gorgeous double-lined solo that makes up most of the second half of the song. Bishop and Hall produced, recorded, mixed, and mastered all of the tracks on Pick Me Up themselves, which makes the depth of sound they achieve here despite their minimalist setup that much more impressive. The duo know their strengths, and being in the driver’s seat allows them to masterfully highlight the contrasts and shifts in their music.

Hall’s lyrics have shifted quite a bit from previous releases as well. There is still plenty about overthinking, indecision, and just being generally bummed here, but this is no longer the focus. Much more attention is paid to the people and moments that get you out of your sometimes self-inflicted bummers and into a better place, and Pick Me Up is L?STC’s most optimistic release yet as a result. “Staying out of my head was the best idea,” Hall sings on “The Way You Make Me Feel.”

Pick Me Up is now streaming wherever streams can be streamed, including Spotify. You can purchase the EP as well as their previous releases on Bandcamp, and you should. Keep up with Love? Said The Commander by liking them on Facebook and following them on Instagram - Philly readers should keep an ear to the ground for some October shows, and we hope to see the duo in NYC soon too.