Lisbon-based, Irish/Portuguese quintet pôt-pot have ushered in an arresting psych-rock debut with their album, Warsaw 480km, via felte.
After previously covering ‘Sextape’ and ‘22° Halo’, I knew Warsaw 480km would be a whirlwind of an album, and pôt-pot certainly delivered.
‘Can’t Handle It’ opens with an Americana fuzz that drags listeners to a familiar rock bottom. As pôt-pot’s repetitive magic dredges the psyche, guitar twangs and percussive slaps snap you right into the present. Cathartic and intimate, ‘Can’t Handle It’ spins the emotional revolving door we have all walked through.
Opening with ringing amps and plucky guitar, ‘The Lights Are On’ is inviting but ambiguous. Is it rumination? Is it sexual? Is it an unknown light in the dark on your walk home? ‘The Lights Are On’ is all and none of these things, but it is welcoming. Like unlocking the door after a long day, this track is tender and mysterious.
‘Change Your Life’ is a short but perfect end for Warsaw 480km. Rippling, wavy guitar, and guiding tambourine channel the metamorphic message of a sleep-deprived mirage. Bounding with frank clarity, ‘Change Your Life’ is passionate in its calculated simplicity.
One massive influence for me is James Brown and a lot of early soul and funk; those deep grooves and chantlike vocals, repeated for minutes on end, are crafted so skillfully in the way that they’re simple enough to get down to, but evolve enough to stay incredibly interesting… That kind of music makes people move and lose themselves, but also stands alone as totally original and timeless.”
– pôt-pot lead vocalist, Mark Waldron-Hyden
Piercing and lively, Warsaw 480km is an impressive debut for pôt-pot. Poetic with potent instrumentals, this album fearlessly harnesses the most human edge between the dark and the light.
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