Micro-reviews for the months of May and June as well as my mid-year list. 2022
Double Gainer - Such is Life (Refresh)
Back in March I covered this band’s debut EP, a project that I did enjoy though I felt something was missing from. A suspicion I was correct in following as that turned out to be prematurely released b-sides from this very record. Unfortunately now that I hear the record in full I’m not totally satisfied with what I had waited for.
Don’t get me wrong, some of these songs are good. I really enjoy the guitar driven instrumental on “Sleeping on the Couch,” the bassline on “Fine. Go.” Even the gang vocals on “Easy to Forget” come off as fairly strong. My biggest issue becomes that none of these songs are truly memorable in their holistic form. Once I hear a song it immediately leaves my memory. Even having listened to this record as much as I did to feel I had a strong enough opinion on it I can still barely remember anything off of it, as if it were new every time. Another aspect puzzling me is the production as the vocals are nearly lost to me even with headphones on yet they also don’t sound drowned out?
I think whatever was missing still isn’t quite here. This is more or less a seven track debut record and it doesn’t even feel like the two “leftovers” had to be left on the cutting room floor and at best the acoustic version of “Fine. Go.” could have been a single.
Destroy Rebuild Until God Shows (Velocity)
If you’re here, you probably don’t need me to tell you the story of D.R.U.G.S., but if you’d like a quick refresh; In 2010 legendary scene vocalist Craig Owens had been removed from his spot in Chiodos and left fans wondering where he’d go next. From there he joined an all-star cast of musicians from bands like From First to Last and Matchbook Romance to release a record that would have staying power to this very day. It certainly had staying power on me, before streaming services took over, that record, especially “The Only Thing You Talk About,” which Owens crafted from a leaked Chiodos demo, were my top played songs on my iTunes of all time. A decade from disappearing without a trace, Owens has revived this project with an entirely new ensemble to back him.
Now, I won’t lie to you and say I love this record as much as I did the first. I will admit that lead single and opening track “DESTINY” really sold me on this band’s return, but aside from “Gold” I sort of felt lukewarm on the other singles. That really doesn’t help sell me on a record especially when all those songs make up all but one track on side a. On Destroy Rebuild I feel there is a bit more of a radio rock and metal headspace as opposed to a post-hardcore one. There’s a more realistic, for lack of a better word, production style layering things like keys behind grander choruses and more technical riffs among other things that demonstrate our ability to play our instruments as opposed to crafting a more enjoyable track. I’m not saying that’s a bad thing either! Given the new members in the instrumental side of this band it’s more or less what I expected. I do feel, however, that the spirit of the D.R.U.G.S. of old does peak through, in spite of all this, on songs like “Satellites in Motion,” for example, we sound like we could be coming from either iteration of this band.
Originally, right here, I had written a paragraph about seeing this band live at Crown the Empire’s tour celebrating ten years of their debut record. However, having been made aware about the abuse allegations against Brandon Hoover, the guitar player in that band and the fact that my memory of that show is now tainted given that the people I had attended with knew about the story and did not make me aware of it, I feel I can no longer talk about that show in a fond way. While I do not want to put a spotlight on any victims who may or may not want the attention I cannot stand by and allow myself to support a band that would keep a member who is an abuser. I feel sick to my stomach thinking about the fact that I went to that show and had a fun evening without the knowledge that I was supporting an abuser. There is a reason I standardly do not cover bands in that sphere. Believe victims and please be careful out there.
Mint Green - All Girls Go to Heaven (Pure Noise)
Boston’s own Mint Green announced their signing to Pure Noise in the first couple weeks of this year and have now dropped their debut record. There’s so much to love here and to be honest I wish I had scheduled myself a way to review this in full because; full disclosure, I think this is worthy of album of the year.
The guitar work on this record is really kind of remarkable in how it’s always so chilled out and sometimes just straight up acoustic and yet it alway blends into whatever the current mood of the song is in whatever range or height of emotion we find ourselves in. Vocally I enjoy the way that sometimes we just go off. By that I mean by the end of some of these tracks the vocalist just ends up sort of yelling and it’s always a positive experience. That and the vocal melodies themselves are some of the best I’ve heard all year, see “Make Me Stay” or “Trying” for key examples. Lyrically we get to the heart and soul of a very specific tragic point in one's life and while it is obvious it's also tinged in metaphor.
“Tonight I can’t see past these headlights but I’m driving faster than your mind.”
For me personally this record has been very helpful in gaining perspective on going through a major, life changing breakup and recognizing that staying in my relationship may not have been the healthiest thing for me. It also helped me come to terms with the fact that while change is hard and new experiences are scary they can also help you flourish into what you’re meant to be. All that coupled with the fact that this record opens with a song like “Against the Grain;” a full on acoustic song about resisting and giving into change, was a major eye opener for me putting it on for the first time.
Moodring - Stargazer (UNFD)
Lately, there is a lot of influence being drawn from nu metal and the radio rock era of the 90s and early 2000s, especially Deftones. I’m not quite sure if it’s just that the generation is catching up to being in the spotlight or there was some sort of resurgence that I’m unaware of. Usually, however, I find a lot of bands influenced by that window of time to be pretty uninteresting. With Moodring? Something is different.
On Stargazer we have incredible harmonies and overall vocal production. We have instrumentals and performances that are a blend of shoegaze, modern metal and the aforementioned throwback to a certain era of nu metal. On the flip side, while pretty much every track is something to behold there isn’t a ton of diversity here. On first listen, I thought what I was getting was a record that is sometimes shoegaze, sometimes metalcore. What I’m actually finding is a band that is very talented but maybe lays heavily on wearing their influences on their sleeve.
This is a record I enjoy, but I want to see this band push the envelope while maintaining that which they love about music on future projects. It’s a good record, but I know Moodring can be great with whatever piece they’re missing reclaimed.
Otoboke Beaver - Super Champon (Damnably)
I had never heard an Otoboke Beaver song before this record and based on the singles was expecting to just have fun with this record, I really didn’t expect to love it. If you aren’t familiar; Otoboke Beaver is a self-described “Japanese girls ‘knock out or pound cake’ band” from Kyoto who mixes elements of hardcore and garage punk with some riot grrrl to make these very short, very sharp and in your face tracks. What kept me on this record is just how incredible the musicianship is while also sounding so DIY. The gang vocals and call and response harmonies are all next level. The bass work on this record is all so well crafted; see the bassline in “YAKITORI” or “Leave Me Alone.” That isn’t to discount any of the other instrumentalists' work in this band, in fact the scaling riff in “PARDON?” is something to behold.
Another aspect though, is the tempo shifts and how they are just as swift as the songs themselves. These are all short songs as I said above, none over two minutes, yet they hit you like a hurricane and are still so diverse. The way this record is sequenced and paced feels like a punk rock show.
That actually brings me to the point of my favorite bit of this record; the bite-sized tracks. The songs that are under a minute or sometimes under thirty seconds. “Where did you buy such a nice watch you are wearing now” is a whole punk rock breakdown. The anticipation built and never paying off on “You’re no hero shut up f*ck you man-whore” is its own pay off. The two part “Do you want me to send a DM” is a feat, presenting the same twelve seconds as two different songs by changing their key and succeeding. That and “Let’s shopping after show” is the perfect stage ready send off.
GILT - Conceit (SmartPunk)
Jacksonville, FL’s GILT isn’t a band I think I’ve ever formally reviewed (Hi, Aster of the past, I'm Aster of the present! We briefly talked about them here.) but they are one I’ve enjoyed. Their EP from last year, In Windows, Through Mirrors was one I particularly enjoyed throughout the year and I was very much looking forward to a follow up. Especially given their recent signing to SmartPunk and the success they’ve now had from that endeavor even if I did miss their tour due to it being canceled by COVID.
I enjoy how on this project there is a feature on every track however I have to point out that they all more or less serve the same purpose; to front a breakdown or some sort of heavy section of the song. The guitar work on this record is really beautiful and I also love the soft, lulling vocals but I also feel like sometimes those very parts can sort of be a detriment. When you have these easing vocals in contrast to your post-harcore song track after track using the same strategy it sort of makes you get lost in the whole experience. Song writing tools like this, I feel, are ultimately what keep me from loving this release even if I do enjoy it and the songs on it, they just don’t stand out very strongly from one another. What I will give this band however, is that they are really good at building to parts. A lot of these tracks start slow and build up to what you want them to be.
No Trigger - Acid Lord (Red Scare Industries)
I was pretty surprised to find I had no prior knowledge of No Trigger given their back catalog and the fact that they’re from Worcester, MA where I go to shows mostly. I love that the opener for this EP has a hardcore punk intro then becomes a radio pop punk track with tinges of hardcore still mixed in there. The 90s inspired songwriting is reminiscent of a lot of the obvious, albeit clearly timeless classics, see Green Day, blink-182, Bowling for Soup or NOFX and even some ska influences in there as well.
Something I really admire about this project is the atmosphere and overall production. Using things like shouts and sound effects to enhance songs. I also love how lyrically we’re calling out fascists using not so much a hardcore style of word play, it still has that silly, comedic pop punk method like the bands I sited earlier.
Spiritbox - Rotoscope (Pale Chord / Rise)
Spiritbox have dropped a surprise EP, announcing only a single the day of release. I’m hearing talks of this being a project where the band records leftover songs written for their Eternal Blue record that they felt didn't quite fit the track listing there. Seeing as I really enjoyed that record (and I really enjoyed that record) I knew for sure I would enjoy these three songs.
The opener and title track, “Rotoscope” is more of a nu metal inspired cut than the band’s debut record. Normally I never quite know exactly what Courtney LaPlante is saying in her lyrics but in this song I think I have a pretty good idea. To me, it feels like LaPlante ruminating on the band’s success and the duality of their rampant popularity but also of the heavy music community at large writing them off for being a “gimmick band.” (Cis men saying women in metal is a gimmick.)
“Shadow this is what I created, splayed out skeletons in the cracks of the pavement.
And now can you feel the injection behind those cloudy eyes?
In between every cataract, a projection of my life.”
That and she did tweet that her depression did inspire all three songs, but this doesn’t feel so nihilistic either. At the end of the day though, what I really like about this track is that it never drops its goth vampire dance themes even for a second, even when a perfectly crafted breakdown comes to really melt you away.
I’m loving the themes of hatred weighing you down and that not being worth your energy on “Sew Me Up,” but I can’t really ignore the truth of the sonics of this cut. The more I listened the more it just felt, truly, like a leftover from Eternal Blue whereas these two other songs feel like they didn’t fit the themes of the record. Similar to what I said about “Hurt You” when I reviewed the full length, however, is that this isn’t a great Spiritbox song but it is certainly a cut above most of the rest of this scene of music.
Speaking of that review; on it I talked a lot about Spiritbox’s ability to build tension as a song goes on and nothing is as much a testament to that as “Hysteria.” The soft intro and verse leading into that chorus with a much stronger delivery. The breakdown is very Eternal Blue, using vocal chops that sound straight out of a dream sequence, the incredible and airtight instrumentation and grand finale that closes out both the track and the EP. It’s a pleasant surprise and total ass beater everytime I hear it, in a similar way that the raw emotion of “We Live in a Strange World” still feels fresh to me these ten months later.
What made the first listen of this truly special, however, is the setting I got to listen to it in. My best friend and I, another critic who is incredible in her own right and who I draw to for inspiration, have been trying something lately where we get together solely to listen to one record each that we want to show to each other. I asked her if she wanted to hear the “Rotoscope” single with me during one of these and she was really happy to experience art that I knew I’d love with me, but we didn’t expect an entire EP. It ended up being all we listened to that night and she enjoyed it as much as I did. Her own words made me see these songs in ways I don’t think I could have on my own. I talked last week about my current break up and this friend is stepping in to let me live with her in the aftermath of it all. One of the things I’m most looking forward to is exactly that. Getting together to share art that inspires us, be it music, film, anything. I’m glad we got to hear this together on release.
AsterTracks 2022 Mid Year List (Click the titles for my reviews!)
Top 5 Albums of Quarter 1 & 2
Coheed and Cambria - Vaxis II: A Window to the Waking Mind (Roadrunner, review coming soon)
Pollyanna - Slime (I Surrender, review coming soon)
CLIFFDIVER - Exercise Your Demons (SideOneDummy)
Wet Leg - Wet Leg (Domino)
Mint Green - All Girl’s Go to Heaven (Pure Noise)
Top 5 EPs of Quarter 1 & 2
Chase Petra - 4 o’clock in the afternoon (Wax Bodega)
Softcult - Year of the Snake (Easy Life)
Spiritbox - Rotoscope (Rise / Pale Chord)
Morgan Reese - Letters from the Invisible Girl (EMPIRE)
GILT - Conceit (SmartPunk)
- Shallow Pools - "everything is fine"
- pulses. feat. Zach Benson - "XO (Sold Out)" (My review)
- Dev Lemons - "One Whole Me"
- Beach Bunny - "Entropy" (Mom+Pop)
- illuminati hotties - "Sandwich Sharer" (Snack Shack Tracks / Hopeless)
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