Coarse - I

Labels: Secret Nature/Zegema Beach Records

Formats: Vinyl/Digital

Release Date: 28 Mar 2018

Tracklist:

1. Shed

2. Hoax

3. Only Death

4. Separation Is Survival

5. In Peril

6. No Heart

I've been neglecting newer 2023 releases recently. I'll have some write-ups coming up next after this one. Fast and chaotic hardcore from NY, USA duo Coarse. This EP was released on 2018 and was Coarse's debut. It was released digitally by the band before Zegema Beach Records did a 7" pressing (alongside Secret Nature according to Bandcamp, though I can't find any information about them). 300 copies were pressed, including 20 with a special alternate cover for the band's Japanese tour. 

Coarse’s sound on opener ‘Shed’ is not unlike Every Time I Die crossed with the more experimental approach of Knut. Instumentation that’s made up of chaotic percussion and mathy guitar alongside dual-vocals that are sassy and deep respectively. As a duo, Coarse’s music is very full sounding. The recording is loud and ‘Hoax’ is a battering ram of a song from start to end. Even featuring some juddery emo-violence. 

With this being an EP (and 7” release), the songs are shorter in length and more to the point. ‘Only Death’ gathers together both mathcore and metallic hardcore in one succinct package. The thought-provokingly titled ‘Separation In Survival’ is the noisiest piece of music here and subtly brings to mind the more industrial/harsh noise elements of Full Of Hell.

Penultimate song ‘In Peril’ hits top gear right away and doesn’t let up at all. Coarse are (or were) one hell of a unit sonically. Blistering low-end blasts added to the duo’s hardcore intensity work a treat. It reminds me of Scotlands Godhole (look them up!). Closing the EP out with ‘No Heart’, things start in avant-garde fashion before quickly morphing into utterly chaotic grindcore. Melody penetrates both the low-end barrage and the frenetic vocals, before everything stops dead. 

Six songs that go by in less than ten minutes. No meandering, no hanging around and no fuss. Coarse did release a four-track EP in 2019 but I don’t think it saw a physical release so this is one for the archives, if you’re lucky enough to own a copy. Fantastic stuff.

I is available to stream and purchase digitally via Coarse's bandcamp below:-

The EP is currently on sale at a discounted price via Zegema Beach Records below:-

CAN/INTL - http://www.zegemabeachrecords.com/zegema-beach-releases/coarsest

USA - https://zbrusa.com/collections/zbr-releases/products/coarse-i-7

Zegema Beach Records - https://www.facebook.com/zegemabeachrecords