murmurations and punk spasms
DARIUS – Murmuration album (Humus Records)
Swiss quintet DARIUS have been building their orchestral noise rock/post-punk instrumentals for the best part of ten years. Murmuration is their third full-length album.
Coupled with a reference for instrumental ‘rock’ that waves vaguely at MOGWAI, time conspired against my really diving into this incredible piece of work, but I couldn’t let it pass without mention. The shortest track spans over five minutes, the longest coming in at eight, so they ain’t in a hurry. DARIUS are all about building, layering, creating emotions and atmospheres without the need for a vocalist. Opener Fritto Misto is a good example of the noisy anxiety on offer, a trio of razor-sharp guitars layered over a solid rhythm section. They probably won’t thank me for this; it’s what MUSE would have sounded like if they didn’t wanna be rock stars. The spiralling, post-punk guitars of Nuée shimmer, propelled along by a nagging insistence, the almost symphonic metal of Ail Huile patiently morphing into a layering of anxious atmospheres. A solid, chunky piece with colossal guitar sounds and throaty bass, the ‘chorus’ is a moment of uplifting musicality. Ditto Norbert; a scream into the guitar pickup, the only bit of human vocal, ushering in a punishing, noise-rock tumult. The eight-and-a-half minutes of Racoon contains all of their strengths in one long piece. Guitars – both nagging, discordant, and shimmering – work in unison, building to a hypnotic soundscape, before plunging into a churning cacophony. Ending on a brighter note, Bilzibute has more of that alternate-universe MUSE, a triumphant spiral backed by solid, punky chugging, and a haunting denouement.
Sure to challenge your attention spans, this is nevertheless a stunning piece of work. Watching them record Norbert live in the studio is a hypnotic delight, too.
https://darius.bandcamp.com/album/murmuration
Released 3rd May 2024 by Humus Records
THE PLEASURE DOME – Liminal Space EP
The sole remaining member of Welsh-born, Bristol rockers THE PLEASURE DOME, song-writer, vocalist, and guitarist Bobby Spender bounces back with a new line-up to record this, the follow-up to 2023’s debut album Equinox.
The Duke Part 1, a 45-second intro of pub noises and sharp guitar, leads into Part 2, as BEATLES harmonies take a barstool alongside early BLUR and RADIOHEAD sonics. With the air of a future classic, the vocals have that laconic, FONTAINES DC cool, the guitars sparkle, and the background noises remain throughout, which is a nice touch. Your Fucking Smile evokes the primal cunning of THE BATTERY FARM; anger harnessed through crazed, freewheeling guitar, pounding drums, bitter vocals, and screams, all combining to come for your goosebumps. After Sugar‘s short slice of cajun-spiced blues, it’s good to hear the bass and drums rumbling away before the guitars muscle in on A Shoulder To Cry On. Expressive, clear vocals enhance this atmospheric, indie-tinged, British post-punker – more shades of FONTAINES DC – before the bright, acoustic Suicide ends the EP on a hopeful note.
Confident, intelligent Britpop fragrances mixed with indie-rock notes and a modern, post-punk tipple. Yeah, I like it.
Self-released 10th May 2024
CATHARI – It Will Hurt The Entire Time You Are Alive EP
It Will Hurt The Entire Time You Are Alive is like a thesis statement for my own sadness and disappointment into adulthood. Every song is about disappointment in its own way, be it with the music scene, the people I used to call friends, or even myself. Growing older has been a bitter and unforgiving experience and I wanted to capture the rage that percolates beneath the surface of my life as I come to find it’s just all disappointment all the way down.
Magdalena (Cathari vocalist)
Uuuuurgh, growl, waaaargh, dugada-dugada, griiiind. I guess you already know if this is for you, but be aware this isn’t the sanitised, Kerrang! version of metallic grind. Philadelphia’s CATHARI are the real thing, a chilling, primal scream of despair. In between cutting, metalcore riffs and pit-hungry slow-downs, the bitter spoken parts are hugely effective, and blastbeats in It Will Hurt hit hard. There are occasional spiky, post-punk guitars, and the vocals slip from hellish belches to a higher register in the same sentence. Impressive, yet oppressive. Five exhausting tracks.
https://catharitheband.bandcamp.com/album/it-will-hurt-the-entire-time-you-are-alive
Self-released 24th May 2024
PUNKBAND – B.I.Y.L.C.
“Bounce if you love corruption!” Or, if you love thuggy, urban punk that scoffs at songs bothering two minutes. Jaded, seemingly nihilistic, B.I.Y.L.C. gets in and out in a flurry of raucous guitar, throaty bass, and crisp drumming, a SLOWTHAI-style vocal adding a pensioner-bothering sense of danger. Along with Born Broke Break Croak, these short, propulsive punk spasms are exhilarating. Full EP due in July.
https://punkband.bandcamp.com/track/b-i-y-l-c
Self-released on May 3rd, 2024
Header Photo Credit: CATHARI by Adrian Byrne
PERSONAL PUNK 