Sheer Mag ‘Playing Favorites’ Review: Embracing an Expanded Tonal Range

The cock rock and 1970s power-pop touchstones that Sheer Mag’s members draw upon in their music are barely any hipper than Benny Goodman. Unlike the glossy revivalism of Greta Van Fleet, though, the Philly band recontextualizes decades-old influences by filtering its hooky songwriting through a layer of sonic grime—not to mention by putting Tina Halladay, an unconventional, throat-shredding frontwoman, on the mic.

Sheer Mag’s third studio album, Playing Favorites, is their first not to be self-released, but they haven’t abandoned their DIY aesthetic. The album sounds as raw as their early EPs, while lead guitarist Kyle Seely’s riffage hasn’t lost any of its bite. The sneering “Eat It and Beat It,” despite its spoofy title, makes an instant claim as one of the group’s most satisfying rockers to date.

There’s a greater variance in guitar tones here compared to Sheer Mag’s last album, 2019’s A Distant Call, Playing Favorites, contributing to a more textured mix. On the title track, an old-fashioned ode to hitting the road and rockin’ out, Seely mostly sticks to a clean, jangly rhythm, which lets the fuzzy, nimble licks that he introduces on the choruses hit with greater force. And when he drops the hammer on the chorus of “Moonstruck,” with a distorted shuffle that shadows Halladay’s stuttered vocal hook, the effect is sweeping and electrifying.

Though subtle, a few more diverse instrumental touches—a brief organ interlude on “Golden Hour,” some celeste tinkling in the background of “Tea on the Kettle”—add a richness to Playing Favorites. And after a decade of shredding her throat with banshee wails, Halladay’s vocals sound more raggedy and down to earth here. While she can still belt, the changing timbre of her voice is a boon to the string of melodic love songs that populate the album’s back half.

Cashing in on the promise of underrated tracks like “Milk and Honey” and “Until You Find the One,” from their 2017 debut, Need to Feel Your Love, “Golden Hour” and “Tea on the Kettle” demonstrate that Sheer Mag is perfectly capable of pulling off songs that are sweet and catchy. They even get downright wistful on closer “When You Get Back,” a nostalgic mid-’60s-style pop ballad with layered harmonies. “When you get back /I’ll be so full of joy but now I’m sad and blue/So come back, I need you,” Halladay croons tenderly. Playing Favorites proves that Sheer Mag can show off their softer underbelly just as skillfully as they do their fangs.