These fresh faced Brightonians bring a new visceral energy and a strong voice to an already flourishing UK rock scene. Whilst pulling inspiration from more experienced minds they have been moulding their own sound in their relatively short history rightfully creating much excitement. So much so they have been picked up by Lockjaw Records to release this new EP.
‘The Wild Hunt’ sets the scene for El Moono’s new era with a wall of disconcerting wailing noise. Sinister times are a brewing as tension sets it as ‘Final Execution’ kicks in. The use of loud-quiet-loud dynamic well used here to fantastic effect. The explosive riffs explode alongside vocalist, Zac Jackson’s, roar which is simply obliterating. The variety of heavy influences are presented with melodies Thrice Black Peaks and Sugar Horse fans would pine over which roll into a doom, sludge driven deafening close.
Added elements which knit the tracks together as ‘Requiem’ starts are evidence that the quartet are already thinking about how to intelligently build a record rather than just lay out individual tracks. For the listener this makes repeated listens a joy as electronics weave their way through the cacophony of riffs and drums throughout.
As a band comprised of what could be described as three ceaselessly starving culture vultures, Perennial found themselves bequeathed with an endless supply of influences growing up, with cultural hubs such as New York City, Boston, New Haven and Northampton orbiting their homestead. Be it the bustling local live scenes, the widespread embracement 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 is a band that, in turn, want to make something new, fresh and exciting. It’s a mission statement that’s been proclaimed countless times in recent years, but truly, Perennial have completely surpassed that goal with In The Midnight Hour, a record that can – only loosely – be labelled as punk.
As it’s title and sleeve art alludes to, In The Midnight Hour stands as 12 conceptual songs on the nature of the night compressed into a meagre 22 minutes; with compressed being the key word here. Within these 22 minutes the band bombastically crash through more styles and tell more stories than most bands will manage in their entire careers, something that opener ‘The Skelton Dance’ implies with teeth-clenched vigour. Following on from a withheld introduction complete with synthetic creeping and Chelsey Hahn’s baited vocals, the floodgates are not so much as raised as they are blown complete off the hinges, with the following track being a flogging of pure adrenaline and energy. Throughout the track and the proceeding ‘Soliloquy For Neil Perry’, Hahn and fellow multi-instrumentalist Chad Jewett trade bellowed lines against angular funk riffs, chirpy keyboard motifs and the hammering percussion of Wil Mulhern in a fashion that’s composed, yet utterly wild and rambunctious.
After five years in hiding, the mysterious and enigmatic Nordic Giants have awoken from their deep slumber. The instrumental post-rock duo are one of the most mysterious acts in the UK, with their anonymity adding extra intrigue to their cinematic music. Following on from the success of their debut album A Sèance of Dark Delusions and their documentary soundtrack project Amplify Human Vibration, Symbiosis lays out a new chapter for the band. The album explores the independent relationship of all life, looking at the union and blending of polar opposites and the harmony that is created when two elements combine. Through moments of beautiful ambience and raw power, Nordic Giants blend light and dark together with subtly and mystery. Whilst the themes of the album are what Nordic Giants have been continually experimenting with for some time, Symbiosis brings a new and fresh perspective and discovers parts of these concepts that were previously unknown.
The beginning of the album is hypnotic, inviting you in without hesitation, to deeply reflect and ponder through meditative means. Nordic Giants have always been a profoundly conceptual band, with messages about the environment and pollution amongst other things. Whilst many of these subjects carry heavy emotions of sadness and despair, Nordic Giants counter in with a feeling of intense hope and with a collaborative ethos we still have time to change our future for the better. As a result of this supreme focus on the relationship between human and earth, the band have an innate ability to get to the very core of human emotions. Not just surface emotions but the ones buried deep in your subconscious. This is something that the band established on 2013s Build Seas and Dismantle Suns EPs by planting these emotive seeds, and now on Symbiosis we see this flower starting to grow and bloom as the band continue to create art that will soften even the hardest of hearts.
Having only formed in August 2021 the four piece consists of ex-members of PINTS, 50 Caliber and War Crimes (to name but a few). With stock that good it’s no wonder they’ve not wasted any time in already making a name or building a reputation for themselves. Flying the flag for DIY ethics, the band organised their first gig inside a gutted out barber shop with a rented PA system, since then the band had offers to share stages with the likes of Dead Swans, Who Cares? and Grove Street Families without a single recording or release.
This month see’s that all change though as Clobber are set to self-release their debut EP entitled The Tribal Rites of the New Friday Night. Recorded and produced by vocalist Charlie Longman’s brother Jack (ex-Giants) at Soundlab Studios, the EP contains four explosive, no bullshit, hardcore punk anthems that capture the frustration, anger and turmoil experienced throughout lockdowns and the pandemic as well as the constant threat to our creative arts and live music industries.
Coming into being in the mid-tens, the Austin based trio are cementing their place in the scene with a form of methodological shoegaze that borrows heavily from granite doom and fatally despondent downtempo pop. Admittedly, this process has been one as gradual as their low and oh-so slow take on the genre, yet it’s one that’s sure to quicken with their second LP, Omit. Across the seven tracks that form it, the trio channel these disparate elements through their two-toned filter in a manner that’s unhurried, but by no means easygoing.
Opening track ‘Trammel’ immediately establishes the overall sound and aesthetic of both the record and Grivo as a collective. Following on from an initial crush of doom that serves as a foundation, the band conjure a monochromatic, borderline miasmic haze. The airy, almost lethargic vocals of Timothy Heck only adds to the sonic gloom, and while the track does ebb and flow between concrete density and lulling minimalism, the haze never fully diffuses. It’s terminally despondent and sombre, and as the record slips into its second and third acts in the form of the title track and the aptly titled ‘Fatigue’, the atmosphere only thickens. These tracks do see variation, and though subtle, it’s wholly welcomed. Here, Grivo cautiously change lanes into roads bound for more art-rock and dream-pop destinations, with the monolithic slabs of glittering obsidian of ‘Fatigue’ heavily reminiscent of the work of acts such as Nothing and Hum.
The band – who are usually placed in the deathcore genre – have been around since 2010. After self-releasing their last album Machina Non Grata in 2019, they’re back with a sixth studio album this time working with small independent label Unique Leader.
‘The Last Ten Seconds Of Life’ – as an album – is a blend of different styles, a lot of time all showcased in the space of one song. You can certainly hear some elements of those aforementioned influences in certain songs though – vocal delivery in parts of ‘Zapffe Isn’t Invited To The Party’ and the spoken word elements in ‘Birth Of The Butcher’ to name a couple.
