Back from the Abyss: ARIEL PINK’s With You Every Night #Review

Sometimes there is nothing more ungrateful than the music industry, which subsumes itself to social pressures where morality—or the social fact of “good manners”—seeks to impose itself, running over anything in its path without stopping at nuances or subtleties. That is why, in 2021, the label Mexican Summer dropped ARIEL PINK, supposedly for being part of the Capitol assault, when in fact he had only attended a Donald Trump rally.

Cancelled, repudiated, and without a label, the very same artist who ten years earlier was the figure of musical progressivism—revered by well-known music outlets—was now the black sheep to be publicly lynched. The narrow-mindedness of those who try to turn their beliefs into a social imperative confused ARIEL PINK’s sympathy for a specific political sector with an absolute rejection of his music. What’s the connection? None. And so, after being denied entry by different venues, left adrift without a label, and releasing demos independently—some reviewed here—it was time for his redemption: With You Every Night, released by LAC Records.

ARIEL PINK’s discography is prolific and brilliant, so the bar is always set extremely high, and what would be excellent for another artist here falls into mediocrity. And yet, somehow, Pink released one of his best works. He manages to converge the darkness of Dedicated to Bobby Jameson (2017)—an album we reviewed at the time—with the cheerful pop of Before Today (2010), a nearly impossible mission or, rather, one seemingly doomed to failure. The opening tracks, “Pocket Full of Promises” and “Nightbirds,” for example, are far superior to the record that fifteen years ago took him to the top of the charts.

I’ll try not to be redundant in my praise, but there isn’t a single filler track. Not one. And these are sixteen songs that generally run over three minutes. It’s a journey through New Wave, Post-Punk, Punk, Noise, and indecipherable spaces. At the same time, the album can easily be perceived as a sort of collection of compositions ARIEL PINK has written over the years, arranged in a certain order to sound cohesive. And that’s the problem… or not, depending on taste. At times, the mixing shifts—as in the title track or “I Wanna Be a Girl”—and elsewhere it feels like two or three albums in one. Personally, I don’t see this as a problem, since one can return to sections or songs depending on mood. Still, this could be an issue for another listener.

The anti-cancellation songs radiate anger, like “Everyone’s Wrong” or “Life Before Today,” one of the best compositions in his entire repertoire, which we had the fortune to witness live back in 2024. His love for 60s psychedelia—already present in Underground (1999) with tracks like “Crusades” or “On Another Day,” and resurfacing in his 2017 collaboration with WEYES BLOOD (reviewed here)—is evident in “Entertainment,” “Why,” “Another Lullaby,” and “House of the Haunted Hebrews.”

ARIEL PINK has done it again. He’s released an album that transcends the mundane, repetitive analysis of the month’s or year’s new releases. Once more, we’re talking about a cult record. Welcome back, Ariel.

For me, it’s a 10/10.

Recommended tracks: “Life Before Today,” “Anosognosia,” “Mommy Made Dinner,” or simply the whole album.

Facundo Guadagno