Binary - Commit More Arson

 Labels: Zegema Beach Records

Formats: Vinyl/Digital

Release Date: 04 Jul 2018

Tracklist:

1. Around Here We Mourn Our Young

2. Do You Know How An Angler Fish Works?

3. Nice Moleskin, You Can Write In That With Your Head Up Your Ass?

4. Dressed To Depress

5. This Song Used To Be A Phone Number

6. Like Us On Facebook To Make Us Hypocrites

7. It's Prince!

8. Dataloss

9. I'll Backhand The Fuck Out Of A Seagull

Binary were a US screamo band that came and went pretty quickly. From the release of their first demo in 2017, they released something every year up to 2020, when they sadly called it a day. Commit More Arson was their only album, coming on single-sided vinyl through Zegema Beach Records in 2018. It was followed by 2019's Say Your Prayers, No One Cares EP and 2020's Fall From Grace Face Down EP. Their final ever song appeared on a split flexi with Wounded Touch and The Burning Wind that same year. A short but very stellar discography. Oh and they played some really sick shows, and their Facebook page (which is still live) has reignited my love for stunning gig posters. I want to start collecting them!.

I’m writing this a little later than I usually would tonight. My rhythm’s all out of whack and sleep is also hard. I figured some intense skramz would do the trick and as openers go, ‘Around Here We Mourn Our Young’ is exactly that. The bass-heavy hardcore tones of the intro show things in a heavier light, as do the deeper-ish screams and percussion early on before Binary make shapes through both emo-violence and mathcore.

‘Do You Know How An Angler Fish Works?’ follows with the briefest of brief pauses, as feedback takes hold and sampled voices add atmosphere. Hitting full speed after more than a minute, Binary forgoes what could have been an epic post-metal song in favour of an equally great fast/slow hardcore one. In fact the more I listen the more it grows on me.

The fascination with lengthy song titles never fades and ‘Nice Moleskin, You Can Write In That With Your Head Up Your Ass?’ has to be one of my favourites so far, for sheer sassiness. If you were expecting sasscore though, you’ll be disappointed as it’s metallic hardcore leanings make themselves known in abundance, leading straight into the fast flowing ‘Dressed To Depress’ without a breath to spare.

‘This Song Title Used To Be A Phone Number’ is funny because binary code (from which the band takes their name) is made up of numbers. I’d love to know what those numbers were in this case. It’s a short song again but one that seems to be slower in tempo, providing a more claustrophobic sound. It’s definitely putting me in the mood for more doom/sludge in a funny kinda way. Poking fun at social media (and it’s influencers) on ‘Like Us On Facebook To Make Us Hypocrites’, Binary pretty much hit the nail on head. Making the most noise in the shortest space of time speaks volumes about the short attention span of today’s youth.

From here the dramatic yet melodic instrumentation of ‘It’s Prince!’ heralds a final third that’s (ever so slightly) more introspective. Penultimate song ‘Dataloss’ sounds downright dirty thanks to the bass that rules throughout. I need more bass-heavy screamo in my life!. It’s a damn good song all round too. Finishing with ‘I’ll Backhand The Fuck Out Of A Seagull’ (which is something I wanted to do multiple times while living in North Wales, but never did because animal cruelty), Binary dip into mathcore inspired riffs one more time. 

This whole album is far less complicated than I make it out to be musically. Binary wrote one hell of a hardcore record here and the screamo embellishments only make it better.

You can stream Commit More Arson and buy it as a name-your-price download from Binary's bandcamp page below:-

There are no more copies of the 12" available.

Binary - https://www.facebook.com/1001BINARY0101

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