The Chorus Music Club Society • Page 316

Slotface- Try Not To Freak Out

We are heading overseas, folks. This time, @Night_Sky gave me a Norwegian power pop punk band by the name of Slotface. I had never heard of them prior to this, but I was glad I heard this album. This is their debut album under this name, previously going by the name of 'Slutface', though still being the same powerful and feminist band under that name (at least from what I have read I have not listened to it). That does show in this album, as when diving into this album you are met with some very powerful political and feminist messages. Sonically, this band extremely talented. Every single member of the band brings something to the table, I was especially impressed with two points on this; the guitar which does some insanely creative things on some of these songs, and the vocalist. I have mentioned before that I am a sucker for female vocals, and this is no exception; her voice is gorgeous and powerful, it has a wide range of tone, with so much emotion to it in these songs that it doesn't take control of the songs but gives the already talented band an extra 'oomf' when mixed with the guitar and drums. I was hooked by the time I got to the second track, 'Galaxies'.

Let's talk about that song for a second. 'Galaxies' is by far my favorite song on the album. The guitar intro is sublime and sounds impressively delicate and nuanced before taking off, and the lyrics. Not only are the lyrics powerful and filled with messages and emotions that are easily relatable, but the vocals sound amazing on this one. The verses are sung smoothly, with a nice beat to them and extremely powerful; but then you get to the chorus. My word, something about the way that chorus was sung and the lyrics to the chorus just had me hitting repeat multiple times every time the song finished (it was five times before I finally resumed listening to the album on my first listen). This is an extremely catchy song. There are plenty of those on here, and there are also plenty of songs like 'Pitted' which sounds like a blast of fun to be listening to. Plus, it drops a nod to Bohemian Rhapsody, so that instantly earned it points from me. This one is one of the more poppy songs on the album, but I would remiss if I didn't admit how fun of a jam it is; and then there is the breakdown in the middle of the song where everything just goes distorted and crazy that I cannot help but love. There are 11 songs on this album, and each one of them is an upbeat jam that has soaring guitar lines, smooth bass, and powerful vocals. Some are just fun like 'Galaxies', some are goofy and intentionally comedic such as 'Pools', but while some can attempt a goofy song and fail, this band pulls off something like the latter song effectively. 'Night Guilt' has some of the best guitar work on the album, and has a cool darker undertone to it while still managing to be upbeat as it addresses the dark sides of the night life; and that chorus is just a head banger. Production wise, this album is great. Everything is so crisp and glistening; sonically this album could not have been mixed better. 'Nancy Drew' has a smooth almost 90s pop punk sound it, and yet it fits so well on this album. 'Slumber' is a nice slower paced song that is actually a duet with a male vocalist and is very subdued. Its pop meting a punk rebellion at its core, and glazed with sugary sweet catchy hooks and smooth guitar riffs. This band is talented, and its a fun album to listen to.

I would recommend this album if you like anything I said. Sometimes near beach boys upbeat and shining sonically, this band delivers some very fun and catchy tunes, with some amazing vocals. Normally I would recommend bands that sound similar to this but I am hard pressed to think of a band that I listen to that they are similar to. All I can say is if you want some fun, upbeat songs with some good and honest lyrics, this band has what you are looking for. I will be spending more time with this album, it makes a very good driving album and its a good one to just listen to and not try to think to hard on. Very nice recommendation!
Standout Songs: Galaxies, Pitted, Sun Bleached, Night Guilt, Nancy Drew, Slumber, Its Coming To A Point
8/10

 

Very. Broadcast Quality was my favorite for him, he shines on that bridge

 

I need to revisit that album, its been years

 

You ever listen to any stuff by The Dear Hunter?

 

No.

 

@Larry David @teebs41 @Colin Your Enthusiasm Keep this in mind for future sessions!!!

 

I think you’d enjoy them. That’s Casey’s new band (after TREOS) and they’re awesome.

 

Excellent first write ups! You have a knack for these, and I’m glad you liked C&S, love that album

 

Thanks. I appreciate the feedback and look forward to listening/reviewing more

 

@edisnfg and I traded and the first recommendation he gave me is:

Emecia: Familiar Spirits (2018)

Emecia is a band from Adelaide, Australia and this is their first official full length after releasing their debut EP in 2013. Bare with me as I try to describe the band as they incorporate so many different sounds. Imagine a band if you will that musically blends the chaotic sounds of Every Time I Die and Glassjaw but at the same time incorporate an early 2000's post hardcore/melodic hardcore sound. Vocally, lead singer Scott Middlin, has a very dynamic range and brings to mind a mix of Bert McCraken and Brendan Yates of Turnstile. This may be a turn off for some people at first but it works really well for style of music and goes along with the energy they emit, even on a record, I can only imagine their live show.

There is not a moment of downtime on this album and right from the moment you hit play, you will get hit with riffs for days. Despite being a more DIY record, the recording on this is fantastic and you can hear everything so clearly. This becomes very clear on songs where they really slow things down and bring in more melodic sections with the inclusion of a piano on the title track.

Lyrically, this album hits close to home for me and goes through the whole cascade of emotions one feels when they are faced with tragedy. Upon reading the lyrics on their Band Camp page, there just seemed to be so much pain, depression and attempting to rise from the ashes of your past. I decided to reach out to the band to let them know how impressed I was with the record and if they could shed any light on the topics. Low and behold, Scott wrote me back to let me know that the entire album revolves around his diagnosis of cancer and the depression he went through. He further elaborated that he had a 22CM Chondrosarcoma in his hamstring but he is happy to report that he is cancer free and a fellow survivor. It was a really touching moment and I cannot express my condolences enough to those that have lost a loved one to this horrible disease.

His lyrics are so heartfelt and poetic. Look no further than the song E.I.I.K.U:

"Now is your chance, prove yourself
Bleed now for what you love
Now is your chance, prove yourself
Crooked hearts pump this blood

What goes around, comes around
Wake up before you hit the ground
What goes around, comes around
Don’t hit the ground

Question everything the world has ever shown you
Before you swallow every single mouthful
Question everything the world has ever shown you
Before you swallow every single mouthful

Just open up your mind
The fire's bright behind these eyes
Just open up your mind
The fire's bright behind, behind these eyes..."

As I said before, the band does not come up for air much and the album is packed from start to finish with so much energy and aggression, it's palpable. Like my recent review of the State Faults album, it is hard to break down each song as there is so much going on. I think a lot of people in this thread will absolutely fall in love with this record. I will say that the intro to the title track, Familiar Spirits, is just breath taking. It almost feels like a completely different band but fits so perfectly among the chaos that surrounds it.

I can safely say that this will go right into my top 10 list of the year and it makes it all the more real connecting with someone in the band and speaking to them directly. Definitely check this album out!

RIYL: Every Time I Die, Glassjaw, post-hardcore, melodic hardcore.

Favorite songs:
E.I.I.K.U.
Familiar Spirits
Phosphorescence
Victims

 

Nice review! I’m going to give this a listen.

 

Yeah you're gonna dig this. @Larry David you too!

 

Damn nice review I’ll be checking this out. And that’s so cool that he responded to you and gave you some insight

 

I still don't understand why the artwork when shared from bandcamp displays differently than the actual artwork haha

 

Great review Nate! Found the record relentless but still retained catchiness throughout. Also the guitar tones were incredible. Crazy that the band responded gives some great insight into the record. Can't wait to spin this again soon.

 

Mate!
Thank you so much for checking us out! This album was two plus years of writing, waiting, and hoping that we would come out the other side on top. Our video of 'Victims' on YouTube is a snapshot of just how sick Scott was. We filmed that on a 'good' week when he was not on chemo.
To have someone/you guys halfway across the world say such cool things is super humbling.

Pete - Emecia (drums)

 

Can't say I'm into Deaf Havana haha, so maybe I'll give the new stuff a miss too!

 

Glad you liked this album, 'Pitted' is probably my favourite track on this album but there is a lot to like on it as a whole. Definitely check out their previous EP 'Empire Records' as it's very similar to the album both in terms of style and quality! As for recs, Charly Bliss' 'Guppy' and Honeyblood's 'Honeyblood' are two albums that come to mind when I think of similar artists.

 

I haven't heard them, but I might save that as an option for when we get paired up!

Love this band. Seeing them live at 2000 Trees soon and I'm pretty excited. Galaxies and Magazines are great songs. I'm not very into Nancy Drew though, even though it's their biggest song by a long way!

 

This show at the begnining of the year is going take some beating for for my gig of the year.

 

Ergh wish I went to that :(

 

No problem! You all were able to showcase that beautifully on this album. Keep up the great work!

 

Wow! They sound exactly like they do on the album. Between this and the Emecia album I’m getting the “feels” haha!

 

This is really cool! Thanks for sharing!