In the Pit of the Stomach (Bonus Track Version)

iTunes Review

On its sophomore album, We Were Promised Jetpacks unleashes a barrage of lean, lethal post-punk tunes with the precision of an elite strike force. The Glasgow quartet relies on simple chords and repetitive rhythms to construct its songs, then expands them in tension-building arrangements that rise from a whisper to a roar and back again. Singer/guitarist Adam Thompson guides his combo with an air of brooding angst, spurred by drummer Darren Lackie’s rapid-fire drum bursts and explosive fills. Rarely since the days of New Order has a band crystallized rage and despair as well as WWPJ does on “Pear Tree,” “Sore Thumb,” “Boy in the Backseat” and similar tracks. “Medicine” and “Picture of Health” show the band’s ability to compress its volcanic sound into tight pop-song structures. In “Circles and Squares,” Thompson and company seem to be aiming for arena rock–like grandeur amid the thrashing cacophony. Though dark to its core, In the Pit of the Stomach achieves a kind of heroism through its emotional intensity and tight, visceral focus.