Work Clothes are Carrboro’s Jenny Scheitler and Lee Waters, and they’ve both been making music in this area for years. Scheitler has worked with Bevel and Clok Lok, while Waters is a mainstay of punk outfits in the Triangle, serving in Cobra Khan, Panzer, and recently joining The Ghost of Rock (whose Ron Liberti and Groves Willer of Evil Weiner just started Hypno-Vista). Waters’ flaying guitar moves and banshee drum style are immediately recognizable. The songs on this record, however, are a great departure from brash rock, as both he and Scheitler settle into some slowed-down, mostly acoustic numbers about independence and relationships. For those keeping score, this release culls together five songs from a 2001 self-released EP, adding three new “demos.” The vocals are breathy and drawn-out, the harmonies nearly whispered. The instrumental lead track, “Free for All,” which plays on the “Dear Prudence” riff, is a bittersweet moment that grows tense by song’s end, an uncomfortable silence between companions. Another standout is “Turn Your AC on High”–plainspoken, encouraging words to a weary wait staff that are finishing their side work and debating whether to have a few drinks at shift’s end. It’s a beautiful affirmation of guiltless solitude. “The Ritz and Back” has great harmonizing amid echo guitar and car noises. In “Come on Now,” the perky keyboards and electro drumbeats mask a biting indictment of hollow scenesters, while “Wood Grain” is a raspy Waters going solo. With spare use of (essentially) piano and guitar, these two have made lasting sketches of personal growth and emotional maturity.
