Bridging an almost 3 year gap between the band third full length and their upcoming fourth LP scheduled for its impending release, the new EP dusts off the cobwebs, and kicks any doubts about the bands ability to evolve hard in the face.
Drug Church have made their mark as a band that actively rejects the thought of being tied down to one specific genre, and their latest record is no different. The new four track EP Tawny exploded into the weekend the right way last Friday, and joins an infamous collection of releases via Pure Noise Records. A stubborn rebellion in a persistent refusal to allow hardcore punk to grow stale – this latest collection of music is fast paced, dynamic and emotive. Featuring two brand new pieces of material alongside the 2020 single ‘Bliss Out’ and a cover of the Arcwelder classic ‘Remember To Forget’, Tawny holds an adventurous rollercoaster from start to finish, an interesting flavour in comparison to previous material.
Across three full lengths, the Bordeaux collective have become renowned as one of the most striking artists within the game, with the sextet having previously incorporated layers and elements of black metal, doom and even dark ambient into their sunless work in order to truly animate their apocalyptical vision. With this in mind, it’s no real suspire that the group’s new record follows the same approach. However, what is surprising is that even after years of continuous activity, the group are still able to up the ante once again. It’s undeniably up for debate upon release, but Year Of No Light may be gifting us their most tight, atmospheric and devastating work to date with Consolamentum.
With their fourth record and first outing on Pelagic Records, Year Of No Light manifest an impervious and impenetrable smog of post metal antagonism that ebbs and flows over it’s sprawling, almost hour-long run time. It’s a miasma of musical darkness, one that dissipates into an ethereal vapour at times before erupting into a maelstroms of near apocalyptical proportions at others. However, within this smog, fractals of faint light shimmer, offering brief respites of not just bring breathing space, but moments that highlight just how agonisingly tense this overall record is.
Opener ‘Objuration’ effortlessly establishes the fact that Consolamentum is going to be a turbulent listen. Coming into existence with dark ambience that erupts into a piledriving riff of pure opaque sludge, the track is 13 minutes of dynamic instrumental misery. The central riff thrashes and flails with enchained strength, incorporating emerging motifs as it suffocates under the blackened density that pins it down. The proceeding ‘Alétheia’ is a slightly more sombre and enigmatic piece, but one that still slowly unfurls with menace. There’s a profound cinematic scope to this track in the way it majestically builds, one comparable to the scenic majesty within Pg.Lost’s recent outing Oscillate. Whilst such vivid qualities are palatable and immersive, they are far from calming though. Following on from a period of accumulating post-rock layers, the track erupts into total hellfire, with the band’s two respective drummers, Mathieu Mégemont and Bertrand Sébenne respectively, channeling the end of all things with all annihilating fury. It’s pummelling, thunderous and utterly, utterly hypnotic in a way that’s purely malevolent and only allows you to reflect upon the devastation it delivers upon climax. It honesty sounds like the end of the world.
Whether it be a subconscious phenomenon or not, it’s remarkably common to get a sense of an artist’s environment and surroundings through a record. This is very much the case with the debut LP from the West Midlands renegades Lovebreakers. Much like it’s moniker indicates, Primary Colours is a vibrant, whole-hearted gleam of punk-rock that glistens with an entire summer’s worth of warmth and joy.
Recorded in none other than the city of angels, Lovebreakers have captured the sun, sea and sand of American beach living with this record. Opening with the airy, ocean breeze buoyancy of ‘Eye Roller’, Primary Colours wastes no time in radiating the carefree sun-kissed splendour it was recorded in. Sounding akin to a more content and composed Green Day whilst retaining an ever so slight punk edge comparable to the likes of The Ramones and even Descendents, the track is a carefree establishment of the aesthetics of the record. ‘Set In Gold’ also continues the trend of showing off the band’s clear inspirations, albeit with a more upbeat, energetic pace.
It’s the third track of ‘Family Man’ where the band’s own homegrown sound takes precedence. Complete with perfectly incorporated horns where one can visualise the sun glistening upon the brass, this track see’s the band merge their more gritty UK punk into the more American rock sound demonstrated in the prior two tracks. However, it’s ‘Laura’ where Primary Colours becomes simply irresistible in it’s ceaselessly bright tone and aesthetic. A song for the endless summer days we all cherish and long for, ‘Laura’ is an irresistible ear worm of a midsummer anthem, one perfectly engineered for carefree days of sun fuelled adventure. Simply, it’s an excellent exercise in composed and relaxed upbeat punk, one perfectly balanced with the more 60’s swagger of the conjoined ‘I Will Love Live’. These three tracks, from ‘Family Man to ‘I Will Love Live’ are the moment where Primary Colours becomes lovable in tone and spiritually lifting in mood.
2018’s The Mountain of Gold EP marked them out as ones to watch but as the band themselves said, it was an album that was more stripped back, aiming to show they could write great songs. Now with debut LP Serpent & Spirit, the band are unfurling their wings and writing a grandiose, epic album that is colossal in scope and in sound.
Serpent & Spirit eases into view on its title track and a melody Baroness would be proud of, swirling before a vicious howl tears through and it moves into far sludgier territory. This, too, morphs later into a chorus that echoes the proggy soaring choruses of Mastodon before it’s once more pulled under. It all circles back around to that opening motif for the final minute, and though it sits comfortably round the nine minute mark, there’s not a moment wasted. As opening statements go, it’s a bold move that pays off in spades.
Followup ‘The Palace of Devils and Wolves’ is a hardcore-tinged rager that still finds time to detour into doomier territories. It’s an oddity being sandwiched between two eight-plus minute odysseys in the title track and ‘Memorial’ but it does wonders for the pacing of the album. ‘Memorial’ itself is initially a grooving number that switches tempo regularly without being disorienting. It’s also entirely instrumental, a bold choice for a second track but one that again pays off immensely. It’s got epic scope, soaring leads and crunching riffs that are simply entrancing.
Comprised of two good friends based in London, Crashface have been percolating under the surface for a year and clearly working on some killer tunes ready to whack the public in the guts with. Their debut EP Heavy Infectious does everything it says on the tin. It’s heavy. It’s infectious. These tracks get under your skin and make you walk with a swagger in your step.
The band are full of that classic Brit-punk attitude which the scene is sorely missing and singer Charlie Hinton has it in droves, with his Libertines jacket, spiked up hair and dead eye stare. And while the music matches the aesthetic to a certain extent too, this is not just your bog standard punk.
