Labels: Self-Released
Formats: Tape/Digital
Release Date: 23rd Feb 2018
Tracklist:
1. Escape Is Not Freedom - Boiling Nails
2. Escape Is Not Freedom - We're Wrecked
3. Dusk Village - Exolife Civilization Leak
4. Dusk Village - A Self-Fan
Noise-rock and the USA are very familiar bedfellows, as you'll probably know. From Nirvana and The Melvins carving out a space in modern music history for grunge, to the more obscure yet ultimately prolific bands like Unsane and These Arms Are Snakes (as well as countless others), there's always been exciting music bubbling under the surface. Cue two new acts in the form of Escape Is Not Freedom and Dusk Village. Both bands feature members from some already established (and heavy) US bands including Arctic Sleep and Rabies Caste, and this split tape features debut recordings from both. It's due for release on February 23rd.
Escape Is Not Freedom takes you on a trip that gathers together grunge, noisy driving rock and elements that might remind you of Deftones (perhaps). The trio creates a really punishing wall of noise with the guitars and drums sounding almost industrial at times. There is some melody deep in the mix but the vocals mask that with megaphone-like volume on opener Boiling Nails. Their second song We’re Wrecked is more laid back initially and the added vocals provided by Emily Jancetic provide an entirely new perspective on EINF’s music. It’s a clever opposite to the brashness of Boiling Nails yet it too serves up it’s own harsh atmosphere. Their music takes you back to generation of bands and a sound that's gradually being eaten away by increased technicality and clinical recordings techniques.
Dusk Village's description of playing “metal but not for metalheads” is an apt one, as they embark on Exolife Civilization Leak. It contains doom/sludge instrumentation and low deep bellows that are akin to black metal vocals. That’s not a surprise given the band’s affiliation to Tangorodrim but Dusk Village definitely has it’s own personality. Again a trio that manages to produce deafening volume. A Self-Fan is like a different song altogether with a proper garage/surf-rock vibe going on and an off-kilter tempo that adds energy and urgency to it. Dusk Village (like EINF) manages to put together two very different sounding songs that still sit well together and are proof that experimentation and variation are very good things.
This split may be one of the most left-field releases you hear this year, but over and above that it’s exciting to hear two bands that clearly enjoy creating great music as much as playing it. I hope both Escape Is Not Freedom and Dusk Village stick around for a while yet, as they’ll be very much welcomed.
You can stream EINF's "Boiling Nails" and Dusk Village's "Exolife Civilization Leak" below:-
You can currently pre-order the tape version from EINF's bandcamp page above.
Escape Is Not Freedom - https://www.facebook.com/EscapeisnotFreedom/
Dusk Village - https://www.facebook.com/dusK.Village/
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