Some bands wear their musical influences on their sleeves but fail to lift a finger to make their music unique and imaginative. Then there’s Plum. Bodies in Motion, the Chicago-based trio’s second full-length album, clearly draws on the angular post-punk of bands like Talking Heads, XTC, and Gang of Four. What sets them apart from the soulless imitators is that they’re incredible musicians with strong songwriting smarts that elevate whatever style they’re immersed in.
The smart punk rhythms and riffs that made their previous album, Can’t Hold on to It (2024), so good expand onBodies in Motion, with more emphasis on interlocking rhythms and counterpoint. Composers whose sophistication belies the simple pleasures of punk—think Andy Partridge or Tom Verlaine—seem to form a template of inspiration here. The lineup also shifts: joining vocalist and guitarist Jeff Kelley, and bassist Heather Perry, is new drummer Eric Ridder, whose enthusiasm for bringing slightly more complex rhythms to the table results in a sonic leap forward.
The bright guitars and driving tempo that open the album on “Asymmetric” lead to fast vocal and guitar runs that echo the playful madness of XTC albums like Drums and Wires, where the band retained their punk energy but added imaginatively intricate musical interplay. That sense of musical freedom extends to the funky energy of tracks like “Obscurity”, “Born Anew”, and the highly percussive “Can Jam”, which recalls Talking Heads’ infectious Fela Kuti obsessions on Remain in Light.
Despite the occasional sonic touches of early 1980s MTV-fueled new wave, Bodies in Motion is impressively and refreshingly mature in composition and arrangement: the overlapping guitar parts on “Not Out of Mind” are almost psychedelic in nature, and the jittery rhythms and vocal hiccups on “Faster, Brighter” suggest an unholy union of Pere Ubu and Horse Lords. Riffs and beats often move in unexpected directions, while also incorporating hypnotic krautrock vibes alongside the usual caffeinated post-punk rhythms of songs like “Club Scum”, which features Perry sharing lead vocal duties.
Plum are a hugely talented band—it baffles me that they are, as of this writing, not signed to a label—and the songs on Bodies in Motion are tight, smart, and infectious. As the record’s title implies, it’s the kind of music that makes it impossible for the listener to sit still. It’s a kinetic invitation to turn the music up loud and dance like it’s 1980.