JAMES DOMESTIC – ‘Push On Through’ streaming (Kibou/TNS/Amok)

driving mr. domestic

JAMES DOMESTIC’s forthcoming Carrion Repeating album looks set to be a varied beast if the first two tracks teased are any indication. Where Faze Out was a short, greboid blast of frustration, Push On Through is a whole different kettle o’ fish.

A simple, steady drum beat, deep bass and stabs of repetitive keys take us on a long drive through the night. James’ droll, weary voice describes the monotony: endless roads, bad coffee, terrible food and the observing of other lost souls going about their mundane, darkly curious lives – a world where “hedgehogs burst like party balloons“. The spoken verses are broken up by the languorous, soothing vocal of Clare Gillett on the chorus, the overall effect curiously hypnotic. As the journey unfolds and the sleep deprivation bites, lethal points of razor-edged guitar, manipulated dub-style, arrive to jolt us out of our trance.

Not unlike Baxter Dury‘s dry intonations set to sparse musical backdrops, at six minutes long, Push On Through impressively swerves overstaying it’s welcome. Repetitive it may be but there are enough tweaks and treats to hold your interest. Grab another coffee, Domestic!

Released November 19th 2021 for streaming. Available here

JAMES DOMESTIC – ‘Faze Out’ stream/download (Kibou/TNS/Amok)

genre workaholic turns to solo project

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Aah, JAMES DOMESTIC. Not content with countless band projects and clearly having devised a way to stretch time, turns to solo work to fulfill his genre-bending needs. Faze Out is the first taster track from his forthcoming LP Carrion Repeating, due in April 2022, thanks to those pesky pressing plant delays.

James’ solo work allows a freedom to step out from the ‘brutal thrash’ arena and indulge in more eccentric experiments. Faze Out takes in surf drums, wonky keyboards and James’ frustrated, accented vocals, building up to a banging chorus, via some fuzz-punk guitar. There’s a lot going on in these two minutes and it’s testament to the deftness of touch that it never sounds cluttered. A catchy, dub-inflected romp that defies genre, file alongside the PI$$ER remix, James’ occasional forays into spoken word and the mysterious FROGGY & THE RINGES (allegedly). For a non-James related comparison, imagine an East Anglian SLEAFORD MODS sacking their laptop and rummaging through the studio looking for instruments to play, a dub producer capturing the gleeful experiment.

I retain the right to see these isolated teaser tracks as a tricky review, stripped as they are of the wider context of their eventual place on the album. That said, and considering the eclecticism of James’ output in recent years, said album promises to be an exciting piece of work. ‘It’s a foize aaht!‘

Released on October 15th 2021 for streaming and download on Kibou Records, TNS Records and Amok Records.

https://linktr.ee/james_domestic