The band’s fourth full length LP ‘Home’ was released on the 10th of December via the one and only Long Branch Records, and joins a beautifully decorated roster including As Everything Unfolds, Borders, and A Pale Horse Named Death to name a few.
Like many in the scene who entered a fresh album cycle in the middle of a global outbreak, the whys and wherefores of isolation, loss and social frustration are where ‘Home’ finds its feet. Featuring a wonderful array of guest features including Rory Rodriguez (Dayseeker) and Drew York, (Stray From The Path) it’s the stellar production efforts that really make the album stand out from the pack – allowing Siamese to sit back on their laurels and admire their best body of work to date. Make no mistake, Siamese are not a band that fuse a multitude of sounds lightly. Every influence noticeable on the record is hand picked and carefully placed, leading to an amalgamation of genres that creates a sound that sits as one of a kind, and makes the band almost impossible to pin down by even the most experienced critic.
The eighth record from the Spanish post metal troupe, the origins of Hex come from the darkest days of the pandemic, where the band spent lockdown tunnelling down an existentialist rabbit hole concerning the nature of humanity. It was during this prolonged period of rumination and reflection where the band ultimately realised that the inhuman nature of hatred is what drives the human race. No other creature in the animal kingdom displays any of the tendencies associated with hatred, but for us, it’s what propels us as a species. It’s something that our western culture consistently perpetuates, something that spurs us unto consistent conflict and something that’s inherent to our flawed condition. Yet, at the same time, it’s something that also drives us to fight back against the xenophobia and warfare that’s a product of hatred in the first place. It’s a bold concept to explore, but it’s one that conceived Toundra’s most emotional and substantial record to date.
Hex is the musical documentation of their findings and it’s expressed with both vigour and authentic emotional punch. In particular, the first side of the record is where their research is articulated, with the 22 minute ‘El Odio’ being presented as the finely detailed musical soundtrack to the thoughts that led to the record’s birth. Elsewhere, the record probes themes of sanctuary and human emotion as a whole, with such tracks documenting these concepts tinkering with the integral components of the post rock and metal sound in a way that’s fresh and anew.
With Hex out now via InsideOutMusic, we got in touch with Esteban Girón (Guitars) to break down the record, track by track.
Fronted by multi-instrumentalists Chad Jewett and Chelsey Hahn, the trio were born and raised in central New England, just a stone’s throw from Boston, New York City, New Haven, Northampton and all the other cultural hubs that orbited their home. Understandably, such an abundance of opportunities turned the trio – completed by Wil Mulhern – into a pack of starving culture vultures. Be it the bustling local live scenes, the widespread embracing of world cinema and literature, or the promotion of fresh ideologies courtesy of their nearby liberal arts colleges, the trio rabidly consumed art, drinking deep from the untapped pool of art and progressivism that collected on their doorstep. The end result of that still ongoing eagerness for art and creativity is Perennial, a musical outlet of collected ideas that can perhaps – if loosely – be labelled as punk.
To label Perennial punk, though, is redundant almost to the point of insult. The band’s mission statement is to create punk that doesn’t sound like punk, something they’ve achieved with aplomb with their forthcoming LP In The Midnight Hour. A concept record expressed in poetry, it explores the liminal nature of the night – both the living freedom and the dead trees. The band forgo all tired, tested and trending conventions to provide something truly invigorating. Both chic and daring, the record does away with the buzzwords and dull as dishwater tropes, empty pompous swagger and sanitized bravado for great swatches of free jazz, soul and dance that force one to rapt attention in a display of meritful creative freedom. It’s contrasting, it’s daring, it’s urgently needed in times of mundanity – and furthermore – it’s a testament to a truly original band that are urgently needed in a time where punk has become a meaningless buzzword.
With the record releasing independently February 1st, we got in touch with Chad to discover their creative approach, their musical ideologies and all things In The Midnight Hour.
“Perennial is a three-piece band from New England. We make punk music you can dance to.”
“The Blood Brothers, The Sonics, Otis Redding, Le Tigre, Broadcast, Ornette Coleman, Refused, The Creation, James Brown, The Hives, The Supremes, Eric Dolphy, Stereolab, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, The Gossip, The Jam. That’s a pretty good start.”
“We’re enormously excited and incredibly happy with how the record came out. It’s far and away the best thing we’ve ever done. We worked on the album for almost three years, so it’s a relief and a thrill to see it finally land on folks’ turntables.”
“Growing up within a short drive of all these cultural hubs, both big and small — Boston, Amherst, New Haven, Brattleboro, Northampton, New York City — that had plenty of resonance for us. The fact that we could see a jazz quartet at a small liberal arts college on Friday, check out a post-hardcore band in a city rec center on a Saturday and then have four record stores and five book stores to choose from Sunday afternoon in the university town 10 miles from our houses certainly affected who we are and how we sound.”
If you’re of a certain age – one where you now find yourself desperately clinging to those final dreggs of youth as the maw of middle age widens – 2008 was the halcyon days of our lives. It was a year where many of us where knee deep in our teenage angst, when our days where spent trying to gain the attention of our first romantic interests against the backdrop of H&M’s and Blue Banana’s filled with merchandise of questionable origin. We spent our days idling around city centres and our evenings drinking bottom shelf vodka that would now qualify as hand sanitizer. It was the year where everything seemed possible and Myspace reigned supreme. And soundtracking all of this was Waited Up ‘Til It Was Light, the ceremonial debut from Johnny Foreigner.
It’s difficult to think of a record that captures the zeitgeist of a late naughties adolescence more than Waited Up ‘Til It Was Light. An explosive outburst of high octane mathy noise pop, the record captures those gilded days perfectly both sonically and thematically. The tales and songs within resonated with us in a way that felt cinematic, tailored and it’s nigh on difficult to look back on our teenage wins and losses without songs such as ‘Lea’s Room’, ‘Eyes Wide Terrified’ and ‘Yr All Just Jealous’ ringing faintly in the background. But despite such nostalgic traits, the record does something that a lot of albums from back then doesn’t; it actually stands the test of time. Even without our personal histories attached to it, Waited Up ‘Til It Was Light is still an impecable record of infectious excitement and unbridled creativity, one that longs to be soundtrack to new misguided adventures even in our adult lives.
So with that in consideration, and in celebration of the record’s re-release via Alcopop records, we got vocalist and guitarist Alexei Berrow to look back and break down Waited Up ‘Til It Was Light, track by track.
Related: Johnny Foreigner – Waited Up ‘Til It Was Light | Re-Release Review
“OK, so I haven’t sat and listened to this as a whole album since it came out and I wasn’t entirely sure it’d be a pleasurable experience. I have a two year cringe gap with my own shit and there’s a lot of ugh lyrics (‘cos I didn’t know any better) and some out of tune singing (“it’s fine, it shows character”) that we also didn’t really have the skills to argue.”
“We gave producer Gene Freeman (aka Machine) Urusei and Cap’n Jazz records as reference, and were kinda shocked when he produced this polished and sparkly and punchy record. Like, we didn’t sound this good live and we thought, quite militantly, that records should be honest reflections of where bands were at. Out of all the decisions where adults have overruled us, that’s the one I’m most grateful for. It sounds alright ‘dunnit. Really quite proud of it, not a bad 3 weeks of work.”
“I don’t know if this song has so much of a meaning as much as it’s just a postcard from a hyper specific moment in our lives. We were already at the point where you realise that being in a band takes up a whole chunk of your twenties that could arguably be put to more practical use and thus song is mostly humblebragging about stepping onto the rollercoaster. We came back from this session with a single 2 week tour booked and ended up spending maybe 40 days at home before the next record so it was pretty prescient I guess.”
“So I’m going to avoid mentioning every time I cringe at a lyric but there’s a fair few clangers here. I still get mardy when people misspell my name though. I love that this record starts with that default Casio SA-21 tone that went on to be a staple of everything we did afterwards. Our label was (justifiably) wary about how much synth sounds date a record so using a 90’s child’s toy was a nice dumb work around; I’d like to say it was planned but it was pretty much all we could afford.”
“Ugh at that edgelord title. I guess this was nominally about attention seeking club friends and how that behaviour was more problematic than any of the issues they fake. I’d like to think I’m less dismissive these days, and I’ve made a lifetime of being dramatic and attention seeky so full circle I guess.”
“This song has lurked around setlists for years, it sounds way better with two guitars. Also cringe lyrics (I lied about not mentioning) but also a couple lines I’m still proud of. And honestly, that party scene I walked in on haunted me for years and the unmarked car put me in hospital for 8 months; there’s definitely some therapeutic value in getting to publicly scream about that stuff thousands of times.”
“I feel like this song means so much to so many different people that I’m reticent to clarify what or who it’s actually about. I spent a weekend being drunk in London and finished the lyrics last minute on the bus, on the way to a BBC session where we wanted to play it, so I’m sure that seeped in somewhere. But if you think it’s actually about you, that’s fine too I guess.”
“Jesus fucking Christ this is fast. We recorded the basic tracks live as a band and Machine would act like a conductor, screaming encouragement over headphones or rolling around the floor as we played. Also been a standard in our set since ever, though we spent a couple years playing it at double speed and claiming it was a Blink 182 cover. It’s super fun to play though.”
It’s difficult to pinpoint a more unpredictable, skilfully dynamic and simply adventurous act than Rolo Tomassi. Irrefutably proving this their new single ‘Closer’. The third and final single to be taken from their wildly anticipated new record Where Myth Becomes Memory – released February 4th via MNRK – ‘Closer’ is a seismic shock to the system not due to it’s celestial punishment but rather for it’s lack of it. To be put bluntly, this the most pacifying, delicate and ethereal track published by the act to date, a polarising contrast against the astral ravagement of the singles it follows due to it’s luscious guitar leads, tender vocals and it’s colossal, awe-inspiring crescendo. “We wanted to show a completely different side to the record by releasing this single, states keyboardist and vocalist James Spence on the single. “The album is full of lighter, more gentle moments to contrast the darker side to it and none more so than this” Regardless, with their flawless precision of balancing the dark with the light already established and this trilogy of singles further reinforcing that fact, there’s absolutely no denying that Where Myth Becomes Memory carries all the hallmarks to be a potential album of the year contender already. – Dan Hillier
A track that can only be aptly described as ‘doom-pop’, the new single from relative supergroup SOM is a post-metal tinged daydream that threatens something dark and foreboding within it’s initially welcoming mirage. The last single to be taken from the band’s upcoming record The Shape Of Everything, the track see’s the band – comprised of current and previous members of Caspian, Junius, Constants and Driftoff – constructing an enraptured haze of noise that reverberates under the gravity of dense lowend and smoke with shoegazing vapour, harkening thoughts of acts such as Slow Crush, Blanket, and to a degree, even Tame Impala. It’s a fantastic enchanted sound, one that tows the line between all things blissful and dejected and one that will undoubtedly appease those who enjoy their music crushingly elegant. – Dan Hillier
Fresh off the press is Kubrick with second single ‘Devastate’. It follows on from his single ‘Painfall’ but shows further creative influence and experimentation. Written as a message to bands and artists who care too much for their image and perceived persona and instead create a toxic music scene it certainly is a bold statement. Additionally Kubrick advises that aspiring artists/musicians/creators do so focussing on the art and not on the success. The track is delivered with a sleek sound, crunchy guitars, soaring vocals and hooks aplenty. It’s an alt-rock banger akin to Deaf Havana & Issues and is packed full to the brim of groove and infectious melody. With it only being January we’re pretty confident you can expect more from Kubrick in 2022 and that it will be wildly varied from what we have already heard. – Jac Holloway
Already turning heads across the metal world with their furious, unrelenting aural assault, UK metal mob Heriot have steadfastly refused to let up. Their latest single ‘Coalescence’, along with previous double release Near Vision/Enter the Flesh’, is taken from their upcoming EP Profound Morality and sees them weaponise sludge, hardcore and industrial elements to create a devastating sonic battering. Frantic snare hits introduce Debbie Gough’s vicious howl and the twin guitar attack of her and Erhan Alman, along with bassist and co-vocalist Jake Packer could level buildings with its sheer heft and distortion. In just three minutes, the band cover menacing quieter moments, industrial noise and all-out batterings that take no prisoners. With the band only going from strength to strength with each new single and being an unmissable, heavy-as-sin live experience, Heriot are the new heavy and the brightest flame in the UK underground right now. – Will Marshall
Currently consisting of Micki Woods and Ryan Warriner, their partnership of dreams was born out of a collaborative effort on the production of the fascinatingly tragic odes of Here Lies Our Love, which was released on Valentine’s Day of 2021. Although the various variants of the C word have caused major bumps in the road for artists across the globe, it hasn’t stopped Wilted Flower from producing a new wave of impassioned outpourings, inspired out of deep need to self-reflect and explore the vast caverns of unresolved tension that wrecked the mind and its memory banks.
With an exploration detailing the upsetting realities of living with severe mental health struggles, Chapter 1: Locked Doors & Hospital Beds is a touching composition of lived experiences and thought patterns unravelling layer after layer of serious emotional degradation, in the hopes of obtaining an understanding and appreciation of oneself, which is done in such a simple yet emphatic way.
After our firsthand experience with this dauntlessly raw release, we had to get in touch with lead singer and principle songwriter Micki to learn more about their artistry and process surrounding their latest EP.
Related: Wilted Flower – Chapter 1: Locked Doors & Hospital Beds | EP Review
