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The Aislers Set - The Last Match

Artist: The Aislers Set

Author: Sarah

Date: 05/09/2025

Listen: Apple Music | Bandcamp | Spotify

The original conception of noise pop, as any Psychocandy fan knows, is putting the most ear-splitting feedback you can create over simple little Brill Building pop songs. Most noise pop ever since then ended up ditching the Brill Building influences, but not the Aislers Set. In fact, The Last Match flips the script by putting the noise in service to the songs rather than the other way around.

As someone who first came to the Aislers Set via Henry's Dress, I was a bit disappointed for a long time about how toned-down the noise was. But when the songs are this good, there's really no reason to complain. Songs like "The Road to Market Station" or "The Red Door" end up being the exact type of fast, insanely catchy music I want all Brill Building imitators to have, or alternatively there's "Hit the Snow", which is based on a simple little riff that the Wrecking Crew wishes they could have come up with.

It's not all Brill Building, though, as befits an indiepop album from 2000 there's also a lot of Belle and Sebastian influence on it. That's most easily recognizable on "Chicago New York", sung by Wyatt Cusick in his best Stuart Murdoch impression, but also in the melody and lyrics of something like "The Walk". I don't think they quite pull off this mode of songwriting as well as they do the Brill Building stuff, but it's still pretty good.

The Last Match isn't a life-changing album by any means, but it is a fun one. You certainly won't regret the 35 minutes you'd spend on listening to it, in any case.