Target Practice

Pardoner have spent more than a decade sharpening their slacker-pop instinct, and on their fifth LP, Target Practice, they push it into even cleaner, punchier shape. Built from ripping guitars, pummeling drums, and lyrics that balance hooks with bite, it is a focused run at that elusive Heavenly Pop Hit.

This is their most straight-ahead record yet. The blast beats and sudden turns of Came Down Different and Peace Loving People are stripped back, leaving 10 concise songs full of playful meanness, satire, and self-critique. Lead single Twisted sets the tone with jangly guitars and a sharp eye on modern posturing.

Target Practice lands as a fizzy, modern take on 80s and 90s college rock, with traces of Flying Nun, Smudge, and the noisier side of Yo La Tengo. Don't Slouch nods toward Blessed Virgins, while a Barracudas cover and closer Changing Mags bring it home.