SINGLE REVIEW: Bayside – “Pigsty”

November 13th, 2013

Matthew Leimkuehler

Artist: Bayside
Song: “Pigsty”
Album: Cult
Record Label: Hopeless Records

Ahhh. Music for the sake of music. Bayside for the sake of Bayside. “Pigsty,” the lead single off of Bayside’s sixth full-length effort, Cult, (rightfully named after the concept of “Bayside is a cult,” coined early in the band’s career) shows immense promise, and I mean, immense promise. As reported by UTG yesterday, after a near three-year hiatus of full-band, original material, Bayside are back and are full of as much trite cynicism as ever.

Yes, it appears “Pigsty” picks up right where the New York quartet left off with their last original release, Killing Time. The song opens with the gripping line, “Your name is dirt and I’ve got you under my nails. From crawling to freedom, I’ve been buried below your dark trails.” It is as though three years worth of aggression has built up with Anthony Raneri and co. and is ready to be unleashed with Cult. The song contains everything a Bayside fan wants to hear and leaves no doubt as to the direction of the record.

That’s the beauty of Bayside; brilliant consistency mixed with timeless and unique music. You know a Bayside song when you hear one, whether it is “Pigsty” or a track off of the aged, yet still marvelous record, Sirens and Condolences. “Pigsty” is full of Raneri’s catchy, clever, yet never cliche anecdotes, backed by a deep set of music, including an unmistakable and marvelous solo by guitarist Jack O’Shea. It weaves in and out of deep, borderline depressing verses into a chorus full of harmonic layers and overall warmth, all while having the lyrical melancholy one would expect from a Bayside number.

If “Pigsty” is any indication of what is to come from Cult, then fans need not fear with Bayside’s Hopeless Records debut. The band is on track to delve deeper into the sound they have shaped over the last decade, while still delivering exactly what fans want to hear out of a Bayside record. With the release of “Pigsty,” Cult has now jumped to the top of my 2014 most anticipated list.

Written by: Matthew Leimkuehler (@callinghomematt)