Hailing from Norwich with a wicked approach that perches on the post-hardcore branches in the style of Single Mothers and Drive like Jehu and decorated with the leaves of sharp and angular indie rock. Dark Ageism is more honed and sculpted effort than the frantic ‘Soft Action’, its storytellers charm leans into the post-hardcore occupied by Pile and Mewithoutyou and its an appendage that’s a pleasure to watch bloom. Engineered by Owen Turner (Magoo) and entrusting the mix to Tom Hill (Death Goals, Modern Rituals) is a harmonious pairing, capturing jagged, distorted indie rock, dripping with emotion and championing the dark and ugly corners of our island and how important it is to celebrate and preserve our opportunities to writhe in the gutter and gaze at the stars.
Guitarist and Vocalist Cals tuneful sneer and the soft cradle of Soapys backing tones are a great double act to present the witting and charming stories being told, whether they be celebratory or doom-mongering the delivery hits with a furious impact. Beginning with ‘Lifted Fingers’ which leads at a melancholy pace building in fuzz and distortion as Cals tortured vocals revel in the doom every footstep etches towards. It begins to heighten in intensity until we are greeted with our figure of hope as Matthew Caws (Nada Surf) injects some wonderful optimism to reveal the hopefulness at the heart of the song. Just as quickly as the melancholy fades the capability to bring an angular assault to the table feels just as natural for Other Half, bringing back shades of Single Mothers and the rich vein of noise ‘Soft Action’ brought to the table.
“This is a love letter to authenticity, to preserve the parts of life that don’t need to be pretty and polished”
The spoken word passages are a particular and peculiar highlight, never normally an attribute of an album that stand out but these are different. Incredibly relatable in language and context but the delivery is exceptional with the pacing being perfect in its ability to switch it up from lulled singing led by Soapy but also the angular guitars that soundtrack them. The messages on the anxious decade of our twenties and the endless and fruitless tales of falling short hit home hard. “Farm Games” is danceable and with satisfying claps littering the background during its catchier moments it’s hard not to clap along. It’s another of the strings to the Other Half bow, it gives us that short and sweet chaotic number that pushes the album into a jog.
This is a love letter to authenticity, to preserve the parts of life that don’t need to be pretty and polished. Noise rock and post-punk elements rattle and bludgeon without warning or permission. Last Single “Pastoral Existence” gives us some harrowing Converge-style backing screams, continuing to show Other Halfs many feathers right up until its last notes. Final track ‘Other Half vs The End of Everything’ gives us a monologue on the music industry and a highlight kept until the very end. Topping it off is an appearance from Alexei Berrow (Jonny Foreigner) which stamps its steel toe boot on this jaunt through an anxious psyche.
Armed with a megaphone until the very end of the album, the whole cast of this grim fairytale come together to bring us an ugly hymn sung from the heart.