The first I heard of KScope Records was a few years ago when Columbus, OH prog-pop duo The Receiver released their LP All Burn via the label. At the time The Receiver, in my opinion, were pioneers of a sound as distinctive as was it was hard to articulate.

Fast forward to 2020, and I’m listening to The Pineapple Thief for the first time. They’re quite the prolific band, as it turns out. But for now, I’ll be digesting their newest release, Versions of the Truth.

As I dig into the title track, I get some shades of The Soil and the Sun. Everything is layered and occupies a happy medium between organic instrumentation and electronic compositions. It’s complex but pretty.

The full gamut of what The Pineapple Thief is capable of is first articulated in “Break It All.” Aggressive riffs, and complex drum fills form the brick and mortar for the airy vocals and pretty melodies that show off the track on a surface level. This continues on “Demons,” which has a hook that is a bit more ear catching, yet still more reserved than I’d like.

One of my favorite aspects of this record is how the band is able to place a flourish at just the right place for maximum effect on the listener. A chord on the rhodes in “Leave Me Be,” for example, lulls me into a false sense of security before the chorus kicks in as the band shows off its full muscle. I’ve been seeing many comments since I began digging into the record that this is one of the most underrated bands around, and I’m starting to see what folks are saying that. A strong and unique reverb effect in “Our Mire” is another example of this phenomenon.

This album is a paradise for a music nerd, but maybe not to the casual listener, which is perhaps why The Pineapple Thief haven’t caught on a wider scale. But a world full of music written to be “accessible” would be a dull world indeed.

I’ll be adding The Pineapple Thief to my playlists alongside Radiohead, Polyenso, Mutemath, and The Receiver.

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