click on the art to read a bit about the album!
hooooly shit man. this was my first time ever listening to splitjaw, which makes sense since this is their first EP, and they go absolutely nuts. I wish more than anything that I'd found them sooner just so I could have had more time listening to the four songs on here over and over again. they really made me glad to be dipping my toes back into hardcore. This band made me go and explore for more music because if I'd missed out on them, which other incredible artists have I been missing out on? searching through the rubble to find new artists is something I haven't done in I don't even know how long. they made me love finding new music again. thank you splitjaw, y'all are pretty cute < 3
as my first true venture into the wacky world of niche internet trans micro-celebrities revealed a nightmare of irony-poisoned 4tran language and doomerisms, thanks a lot, Kirbizia, my second outing revealed something far more sincere and raw. shitty kickflips puts a lot of emphasis on being relentlessly herself, and though she focuses on how shit being trans can actually be, it made me more hopeful than anything. even with all of the bullshit, at the end of the day, we can make beautiful art about it. I'm so happy to have found this bizarre ear-fuck of an album, and her tirade-fueled video essays. I can't wait to hear more from Rhyme in the future < 3
I have trouble describing this music, if I'm being completely honest. it's like... if Protest the Hero did the soundtrack for Sonic Adventure 2. and I mean that in the kindest possible way. I fucking adore this album, and SYSC has continuously put out amazing shit. It's haunting and beautiful but somehow still boppy and incredibly fun to listen to. and holy shit the technical ability from every member is really on display here. I love this album
god I'm so fucking gay look man, sometimes you just need something fun to dance to, and this fits the bill. Vienna Vienna is putting out consistently cool stuff, and I'm loving every second of it.
I don't know what this sound is. I'm being dragged deep into the forest and exposed to a world that sounds different than what I've heard before. FOXCULT call themselves stargaze on their bandcamp, and that couldn't be more accurate. what they're putting out is just... different. it doesn't sound like anything else. I wish I had more to say, and I probably will as they release more music, if it's anything like this EP. thank you FOXCULT for being you.
Harrison Gordon does something that a lot of bands try and fail to do, they capture frustration without it sounding like senseless bitching. Now, let's be clear, they're absolutely bitching, but i can't help but relate. there's something about feeling stuck, spinning your wheels and being unable to fucking move that's so relatable. that's the feeling these guys capture. there's something so specific to middle-of-nowhere boredom that can really make you feel helpless and pissed off, and they nail it. I should have expected them to be right about everything considering they're from illinois.
I've had this album on repeat for over a week now. It's so intimate, and weirdly intense and cathartic to listen to, despite how calm most of the songs sound. My personal favorite off the album is Tarot Cards. I'm the same kind of socially incompetent, and you don't really hear that represented in music very often, since it's not really an experience that literal performers are going to be going through as often, so it's nice to feel represented like that for a change.
There is truly nothing either more beautiful, or more tragic, than an artist who doesn't want to be bound by creating what will be popular becoming a very popular artist. It can be tragic because they may lose themselves to chasing fame, forgetting why they began in the first place, and hating themselves because of it. Being locked into a cycle of creating shit that you hate, for people you don't know, to make money you don't need. The opposite side of that is the beauty, where someone becomes popular and makes it very very clear that they don't care about the fame, they care about the art, and fuck anyone who tries to sully the art. That's where this album lies. Ethel Cain had an incredibly hyped album release, and all of the people who don't care about the artistry, and instead want something to sing along in the car to and then forget about, fucking hate it. That's the point of the artist. I hope it was her intention. Maybe I'm full of shit and she genuinely thought she was making club bangers. If that's the case... disregard, I suppose. This album is Ethel Cain's best, in my opinion. If you disagree, listening to the droning of Houseofpsychoticwomn while you have a cigarette on your back porch in the pouring rain. That's how I heard this album for the first time, and I wouldn't change a thing. God bless Ethel Cain, may she face nothing but joy for the rest of her life.
