Pryor Stroud: Lifted from Prism Tats’ eponymous LP, “Creep Out // Freak Out” is a freak-punk maelstrom whipped along by an unrelenting sexual pressure. Singer Garett van der Spek seems to be both animated and afflicted by desire, a paradox that enlivens his voice with a tortured yet masochistically amped-up poeticism. This paradox is also present in the guitar, which wields a pure thrash-this-out-of-my-system punk ethic that only intensifies as the song surges toward its end. “I’m gonna creep you out / I’m going freak you out”, van der Spek repeats, so certain of his own perversity that he feels like he should just own up and admit it. But what is there to admit? The guitar is there to tell you: something violent, sickening to some, a brutality of skin that’s best left said in the flesh. [8/10]
Chris Ingalls: There’s a refreshing old-school punk/new wave element to this song that includes a lot of glam influences, resulting in a retro sound that seems to revere its past while blazing a new trail. A nice buzzing bass line drives the point home, and the galloping beat will hopefully have fans pogo-ing around the club when Prism Tats open for Nada Surf later this month. [7/10]
Timothy Gabriele: Had to check at first to see if this wasn’t Of Montreal, but precisely where Kevin Shields would have gotten interesting, his soundalike decides to frame this like every above-the-sheets overproduced garage yawn this side of an Apple commercial. Okay, so it’s not a total yawn. Despite its structural and sonic conservatism, there’s some shredding happening that is pretty nice and a catchy refrain that lingers in memory a bit after the tune concludes, but the title is a bit of a ruse. This track does not “freak out” as its lyrics and video promises. It merely rocks a little bit. [5/10]
Emmanuel Elone: Prism Tats combines both punk rock and indie music on “Creep Out//Freak Out”. The guitar riff is driving and infectious, while the melody of the instrumentation mirrors that of the vocals. The lead singer has a sweet soprano quality to his voice as well, contrasting nicely with the pulsing percussion and guitar tones. So, while it’s not the a stand-out song, “Creep Out//Freak Out” is at least a short and sweet listen that never disappoints. [7/10]
Chad Miller: While the track isn’t unenjoyable, it’s nothing special at the same time. The melody line that was in all falsetto was nice, and the guitar was pretty good too, especially during the ending. However, most of the track is pretty average melodically and lyrically. [6/10]
SCORE: 6.60