Pullstring – The Only Thing

Pullstring, a Minneapolis-based indie group, kept their activities as much as possible during this year. If you pay closer attention to streaming services and their social media pages, you’ll notice an impressive amount of recordings released this year. Singles like Sunday Afternoon, Twenty Something, and When It Began, or Greatest Threads EP are more than solid proof of my statement. Of course, all these works burst with many qualities, but their latest piece, The Only Thing, delivers even more brilliant ideas and some improvements. It’s a triple single with a sole focus on a title track, so I will talk about it a bit more. The Only Thing resembles something renowned alternative, and indie rock groups would eventually record from the mid to late nineties. However, this composition also carries some of the finest properties of contemporary music, so it will appeal to your ears no matter which era you prefer.

The Only Thing is a soothing love song with a perfect structure based on clever arrangements, accentuations, decorations, and enhancements. Pullstring invested all their creativity, musicianship, and experience into this number, and the effort is unquestionably hearable from scratch to finish. The sound engineer/producer did an exceptional job, so there’s no way you’ll miss semi-distorted and acoustic chord progressions, riffs, warm-sounding basslines, and moderate rhythmic sequences. It’s nearly mindblowing how the lead and back vocals fit together in the mix, and delicate singalongs come like a cherry on top. There’s even a thick layer of Americana, country, and southern rock lurking around. Pullstring thought about everything, and it’s probably one of the best alter-indie songs you’ll hear this year. The Only Thing is available on all streaming platforms.