Pass Like Pollen

Limited LP: Transparent/Cloudy Vinyl

Chuck Moore’s debut as Cartalk, Pass Like Pollen, is an album about holding on to what you’ve had and have—charting an emotional path for moving forward, while understanding the importance of looking back. Merging the loud, grungy guitars of classic indie rock and emo with country-esque songwriting and Moore’s undeniably affecting punch of a voice, Pass Like Pollen hits you hard immediately and leaves a beautiful mark.

Pass Like Pollen arrives on the heels of the buzz-building sensation singles “Noonday Devil” and “Wrestling,” the latter of which was picked up by KEXP and resulted in a month-long residency earlier this year at the beloved and now-defunct L.A. music venue The Satellite. Thematically, Pass Like Pollen is a breakup album—a rumination on peering inward, taking stock in what you find and learning to embrace what you have in spite of so much loss. These complicated emotions are accompanied by a kaleidoscopic array of sounds rooted in rock and country music, every sonic shade complimenting the intricacies of Moore’s ex­pressive lyricism; whether they’re cranking up the guitars on slow-burning racers like “Noonday Devil” or zooming in to close-mic’d effect on the intimate “Something or Nothing,” every single emotive beat on Pass Like Pollen rings true.

SIDE A

01. Arroyo Tunnels

02. Noonday Devil

03. Las Manos

04. Wrestling

05. Car Window

SIDE B

01. A Lesson

02. Driveway

03. Something or Nothing

04. Sleep