Crowning/Oaktails - Split

Labels: Self-Released/Zegema Beach Records

Formats: Digital/Tape (out soon)

Release Date: 11 Oct 2024

Tracklist:

1. Crowning - Jung Money, Freud Problems

2. Oaktails - Dazzling Dress

3. Crowning - Luxor Surrealism

4. Oaktails - Winter Call

US band Crowning have released a split with Japanese band and recent tour-mates Oaktails. It coincided with their tour and was released digitally in October; however, it's due for a tape pressing via Zegema Beach Records soon. Crowning features Dave Cullen (one half of ZBR) and also includes awesome people that play in Greed Worm (Trilly) and Iwan (Justin), not to mention Vanessa and Lowell.  Oaktails are a new name to me entirely, so I'm excited to listen to them too. Also, apologies to Dave if I've ever mixed him up with CanaDave in any of my previous Crowning reviews, because I'm pretty sure I have!

This split features two different takes on screamo. Crowning open things with ‘Jung Money, Freud Problems’, which is best described as a cross between mathrock and post-hardcore. Off-kilter at first before retreating into a more expansive sound that contains both brilliant atmospherics and subtle emotive sassiness.

Next it’s the turn of Oaktails and their first track ‘Dazzling Dress’. They draw influence from the screamo released by the likes of Level Plane and Ebullition. Their music leans towards emoviolence yet the lyrics and vocal delivery are coupled with a heap of the now traditional Japanese approach.

‘Luxor Surrealism’ is Crowning’s second and final song. It follows on perfectly from their opener, both musically and atmospherically, while also going by way too quickly overall. The dynamics amongst Crowning’s members show that they’re absolutely in tune with one another.

Oaktails end the split with their second song ‘Winter Call’. The Japanese lyrics/vocals immediately take hold, as their post-hardcore covers all manner of different sounds and corners of the sub-genre. A brilliant way to end this split and one that will be remembered.

We’re fast approaching year-end and the obligatory End-Of-Year list chaos; however, there’s still time to get in last minute listens to those 2024 releases you may have missed. This split is a perfect reason to live in the moment. Both Crowning and Oaktails are on excellent form. Their personal takes on post-hardcore/screamo are refreshing and enthralling.

You can stream and purchase the split as a name-your-price download from Crowning's bandcamp page below:-

Keep an eye out on the Zegema Beach Records website for news on that tape release (I hope I haven't missed it) - http://www.zegemabeachrecords.com/

Crowning - https://www.facebook.com/crowningband

Oaktails Instagram - @oaktails

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

Crowning/Marée Noire - Split

Labels: Zegema Beach Records

Formats: Tape/Digital

Release Date: 30 Oct 2018

Tracklist:

1. Marée Noire - Laurence

2. Crowning - Julius Breezer

3. Marée Noire - Pervitin

4. Crowning - Narcissus

5. Marée Noire - Toucher La Lune

6. Crowning - Trakata

Things have been a little quiet at TNIO towers of late. Life has been a bit weird and consumption of music has been down a bit. I hate the words "consumption and consuming" though because music isn't a commodity for me. It's a living, breathing entity that moves to it's own rhythm. I'm back this evening with a familiar post though, as I jump back into my ongoing Zegema Beach Records review series.

This review features the 2018 split release from US band Crowning whom Dave Cullen (one half of ZBR) is a member of and French Canadians Marée Noire. This split is unique though due to the fact that both bands follow one another, instead of having distinct sides.

Marée Noire opens this split release with ‘Laurence’ with a somewhat angular, metallic screamo approach that leans further into the realms of mathy, technical post-hardcore. Crowning follows with ‘Julius Breezer’, which is very melodic, much heavier and in-your-face. Both bands instantly impress with short and sharp bursts of energy that lay foundations for what’s to come here.

Talking of what’s to come, the rest of the songs on this split are a lot shorter starting with Marée Noire’s ‘Pervitin’, which builds into something a lot more intense in sound. Noisier with tons of urgency and loads of melody as well. Crowning’s next song ‘Narcissus’ is a very brief panic-chord laden blast but a satisfying one. I find that a lot of sub-thirty second songs go by without making an impression. It’s not the case here.

Marée Noire’s ‘Toucher La Lune’ is their last on this split and it takes you on a journey. It’s like the angular screamo of Marée Noire helps to create different movements throughout the song. Crowning’s ‘Trakata’ ends the split bathed in atmosphere thanks to the guitars. At times it reminds me of old mid-2000’s metalcore.

The way each band follows the other on this split instead of just having their own designated side works great here and I don’t know why more don’t do it. It highlights the skill of both Marée Noire and Crowning brilliantly. 

Stream and purchase the split digitally below:-

Crowning - https://www.facebook.com/crowningband

Marée Noire - https://www.facebook.com/yohannRocksScreamo

Unsurprisingly, tape copies are long sold out.

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

Crowning - Funeral Designs

Labels: Zegema Beach Records/Tomb Tree

Formats: Tape/Digital

Release Date: 14 Feb 2017

Tracklist:

1. Funeral Designs

2. Velleity

3. Swivet

4. Exposure

5. Buddy Dryer

My first introduction to US screamo band Crowning was in 2018 when I reviewed their split with Swallow's Nest (by the way, I'll have a sweet Swallow's Nest related post coming towards the end of July that might interest those of you reading this, so stay tuned!). They've been pretty busy of late too having recently released a split LP with Naedr, but I'm going backwards in their discography today to the EP that started it all off, Funeral Designs. It was originally released on tape (via a couple of pressings) and digital formats via Zegema Beach Records in Feb 2017, before receiving a repress through Tomb Tree in 2020. 

We’re about to enter a heatwave in the UK (one lasting a mere three or four days I might add!). It’s pretty warm already this morning and because of the advice telling us to stay inside to avoid the worst of the heat, I’ve already jammed me some AFI and Primitive Man. Now it’s the turn of Crowning and their debut EP, Funeral Designs. The EP’s title-track ‘Funeral Designs’ instantly hits a high gear with noisy and heavy screamo/hardcore. The sound is very bass-heavy and the breakdown at the midway point is properly attention grabbing.

After an initially heavy start, ‘Velleity’ settles into a melodic intro passage that leads to infectious screamo that’s as intricate as it is emotive. Crowning have become a staple of modern day post-hardcore and it’s easy to see that trajectory after listening to this. Some of the best songs are the ones that come and go in a flash, like ‘Swivet’ does. It’s sub sixty-second form means that it’s allowed to be angry and violent, yet Crowning keep it controlled as well. 

From the intense to the dramatic now as ‘Exposure’ sees the band change direction slightly with a song of two halves. The first half being instrumental and clean, while the second half is full-on again. The way the song transitions only adds to the sense of anticipation as it explodes. EP closer ‘Buddy Dwyer’ is where Crowning put every instrumental/vocal texture from Funeral Designs together and leave you with a brooding, menacing song that swirls around you. It gives you a feeling of transcendence. 

Set time aside to listen to Crowning’s entire discography if you can, starting with this EP. In a world where instant gratification is everywhere, give yourself time to escape. Finally, no I haven’t already got heatstroke, I just really dig this release!

For fans of: Youth Funeral, Lentic Waters, Altar Of Complaints, La Luna & Respire.

You can stream and purchase Funeral Designs digitally here:-

Tape copies from both Zegema Beach Records and Tomb Tree are sold out.

Crowning - https://www.facebook.com/crowningband

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

Tomb Tree - https://www.facebook.com/tombtreetapes

Meditations In Affinity Vol.1 (Bond): Life In Vacuum/Canyons/Crowning/Hundreds Of Au - 4-Way Split 7"

Labels: The Ghost Is Clear Records/Zegema Beach Records

Formats: Vinyl/Digital

Release Date: 10 May 2019

Tracklist:

1. Life In Vacuum - Nine To Five

2. Canyons - Storing Light

3. Crowning - Visceral Ghosts

4. Hundreds Of Au - Out In The Streets/Elevator Music

I've spent an hour or so this morning just taking stock of what I've been sent to review recently and trying to do some organising of my schedule for the coming weeks. I didn't quite appreciate how good releases have been over the last few months. I've still got catching up to do but that's a constant. 

As the seasons here become more autumnal it's post-hardcore that I feel myself reaching for and so to kick off this Sunday, here's the first split 7" (sub-titled - Bond) from a series called "Meditations In Affinity". The series will feature five four-way split 7"s featuring twenty bands and is a collaboration between The Ghost Is Clear Records and Zegema Beach Records. Each band contributes one song and here they are Life In Vacuum (Can), Canyons (USA), Crowning (USA) and Hundreds Of Au (USA).

Life In Vacuum’s contribution Nine To Five seems to be influenced by UK Indie/Brit Pop to start with, as it’s angular riffs and clean vocals lead the way before the trio explodes into the more usual post-hardcore sounds. It’s more accessible due to the varied musical application that the trio exhibits. Really creative punk. Canyons are equally as angular and off-kilter on Storing Light, but the sense of foreboding that’s enveloped within their mid-paced post-hardcore is palpable. More bass-heavy and containing harsh vocals from the get-go, there’s no light that shines through.

Crowning’s Visceral Ghosts is the closest you’re going to get to the sassy-grind/emoviolence sound on this split. It threatens to explode in a fireball of technical instrumentation and crazy tempos, but the band holds-off from that and instead creates a hardcore song that’s as mesmeric as it is unnerving. The split’s closer is reserved for Hundreds Of Au and Out In The Streets/Elevator Music is a combination of typical heaviness and cinematic post-rock, held together by solid instrumentation and caustic vox. The way they transition from Out In The Streets to Elevator Music leaves no time for a pause and their raging final bars make for a fitting end to this release.

This split series is a fantastic way for people to discover bands that they otherwise would not have. I appreciate that all of the participants have probably already been confirmed for this series but it got me thinking; being based in the UK, I’ve always felt that native post-hardcore/screamo bands have been under-represented on releases like this. It would be great to join together with a label (or labels) to seek out a new band or two from the UK for a release. This is a spark of an idea, so write to me if you think it could be a grower. 

You can stream "Meditations In Affinity Vol.1" and purchase it digitally below:-

Life In Vacuum - https://www.facebook.com/lifeinvacuum/

Canyons - https://www.facebook.com/canyonsband/

Crowning - https://www.facebook.com/crowningband/

Hundreds Of Au - https://www.facebook.com/hundredsofau/

Physical copies can be purchased from the labels below:-

The Ghost Is Clear Records - http://theghostisclearrecords.limitedrun.com/categories/tgic-release

Zegema Beach Records - http://www.zegemabeachrecords.com/zegema-beach-releases

The Ghost Is Clear Records - https://www.facebook.com/TGICRECS/

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

Crowning/Swallows Nest - Split

Labels: Zegema Beach Records/IFB Records/Time As A Color/Dingleberry Records

Formats: Vinyl/Digital

Release Date: 24 Jun 2018

Tracklist:

1. Crowning - Coil

2. Crowning - Old References

3. Crowning - Nerve

4. Swallows Nest - A Subtle Knife For New Doors

Here's a split that isn't so new (sorry for being late to the party, again!) but who cares, I still want to write about it. It's features Chicago "DadrockViolence" band Crowning and Dunedin (NZ) screamo band Swallows Nest. The 7" was released in June by four of the hardest working overseas labels I know, though I'm a little unsure of the actual release date, so if it's incorrect above please let me know. Both Crowning and Swallows Nest are new to me, so I'm looking forward to this.

Crowning get three songs here and they don’t hang about. Their opener Coil is a violent and heavy blast of hardcore/emoviolence that’s lasts just over sixty seconds but is filled with riffs and bile for days. The slightly more pensive Old References gives the rhythm section time to talk before they once again unleash their unrelenting screamo. There’s a lot to take in but it’s so additive. Crowning’s final song Nerve is absolutely no different and the blasting cymbals that sit alongside the punk-like guitar work in the mid-section hide the angst and misery within. 

Swallows Nest, from easily the most beautiful country in the world, play screamo that suggests all is not well on A Subtle Knife For New Doors. It’s slower but no less heavy and the dual-vocals give it extra oomph. Melody exists within both bands but here it does provide more atmosphere, even when Swallows Nest head off in a more off-kilter/chaotic direction. I could listen to this split over and over again, and in fact I probably will. The feedback that ends it underlines the savageness of it while the silence that follows reminds you that there’s always a light at the end of the tunnel.

Crowning - https://www.facebook.com/crowningband/

Swallows Nest - https://www.facebook.com/Swallows-Nest

Digital downloads can be purchased from the bandcamp pages of the labels involved. physical copies can be purchased from the links below:-

Zegema Beach Records - http://zegemabeachrecords.storenvy.com/

IFB Records - http://www.ifbrecords.com/distrolist/

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

IFB Records - http://ifbrecords.blogspot.com

Time As A Color - https://www.facebook.com/timeasacolor/

Dingleberry Records and Distribution - https://www.facebook.com/Dingleberry-records-and-distribution