Pepperdome’s ‘Let’s Try the Other Side’ Holds up a Blinding Mirror to Society

Pepperdome’s Let’s Try the Other Side is a screaming wake up call to society.  This punk style album rides on its own high, not at all seeking to please the masses.  The energy of the album however is contagious and draws you into mood which is seemingly asking, Isn’t this amusing?  Pepperdome’s  guitar-driven sounds vary between classic rock groove, hard rock fuzz, and heavy metal squealing.  The album lyrics, filled with dark humor and sarcasm, are ranted aloud with rhythmic punches. 

Pepperdome holds up a blinding mirror to social ills.  These are described with such grave sarcasm in songs like “Good Luck” that you can’t help but chuckle as Tokarczyk nonchalantly mimics, “Let someone else raise the kids so I can go with my flow….That television, it’ll show them.  That government man, they’ll save them.” The song turns things around when Pepperdome tells parents not to blame, ending with the rhetorical question, “Maybe it’s you that needs a change?” 

Other Side slows to a halt with “Reality” which feels like a musical blog during which the lyrics are quietly spoken against a background of new age rattles and vibrations.  With the exception of “Just Like You,” the album does not regain its groove until the final song.  In the end,  Pepperdome quits seeking empathy from society; “Leave Me Alone” is a complaint concerning the surrounding culture’s need to force each individual into a common mold.  Pepperdome’s parting message is no longer a call, but a command: “All I ever wanted was to live a happy life.  Leave me alone.” 

 ~Myriah Christine, Contributor

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