People's Temple Project/Sleeper Wave - Split 12"

Labels: Akashita Corp/Dingleberry Records/IFB Records/Zegema Beach Records

Formats: Vinyl/Digital

Release Date: 01 Feb 2019

Tracklist:

1. People's Temple Project - Intro

2. People's Temple Project - Seminar 1

3. People's Temple Project - Seminar 2

4. People's Temple Project - Interlude

5. People's Temple Project - Seminar 3

6. People's Temple Project - Seminar 4

7. People's Temple Project - Outro

8. Sleeper Wave - Shelf Life

9. Sleeper Wave - Coward

10. Sleeper Wave - Atrophy Through The Aperture

I'm going through a strange time right now. Things seem to be going really well in my day job and while I'm making the most of it, the blog has been slipping a bit. Press on I must though and it's time to jump back into the Zegema Beach Records roster, where I take time to look at the myriad of releases from the label. This evening's all about the 2019 split LP featuring People's Temple Project and Sleeper Wave. Both are from the US and have featured here before. Fun fact: aside from the Eight Feet Under comp LP that Sleeper Wave were on, this is the only other LP appearance by either band (please correct me if I'm wrong though!).

Ten songs in total, seven from People’s Temple Project and three from Sleeper Wave. PTP’s side begins with ‘Intro’, which is hypnotically suggestive, especially if you’ve paid close attention to the album’s cover art. ‘Seminar 1” follows instantly with raw yet melodic screamo that straddles the invisible line to emoviolence line but doesn’t completely cross it. 

‘Seminar 2” is slightly more stripped back to begin with, before it builds into a chaotic beast that gives no clue as to it’s near five-minute song length. It’s much more introspective in so much as it is quieter for larger passages. The guitar work is striking too but not in an immediate way, if that makes sense. The ‘Interlude’ just like the ‘Intro’ features a sample that’s (this time) heavily religious in tone. PTP took their name from the religious movement created by Jim Jones (if my memory is correct) and as somebody who is both fascinated by/opposed to organised religion, I find the aesthetic really interesting. 

Obviously I use the term “aesthetic’ loosely, as PTP are merely just being themsevles on this release. ‘Seminar 3’ takes on an exhilarating form straight away, reminding me of Refused at times throughout the song’s heavier more punk-influenced opening sixty seconds. What follows is a much gentler mid-section that morphs into something more chaotic as it reaches it’s close, only to lead you straight into ‘Seminar 4’ as if there was no break in the music. This time, there’s more math-rock going on alongside greater volume.

PTP’s overall sound seems to have evolved on this release and as the post-metal vibes of ‘Seminar 4’ guide you to their ‘Outro’, the final menacing sample plays out. There’s no time to dwell on it though as Sleeper Wave crashes straight over your wall with their opener ‘Shelf Life’. Sleeper Wave’s approach here is much more bluesy and jazz-like, with bursts of post-hardcore nestling perfectly alongside. 

Sleeper Wave are less about the instant hit, preferring to go longer but on ‘Coward’ they break out the hardcore to greater effect. It’s the most straight-to-your-face song on this entire LP, even when they retreat into experimental art-rock mid-way through. Their final and most grandiose song ‘Atrophy Through The Aperture’ blends upbeat punk/hardcore percussion with harsh vocals and off-kilter riffs, meaning that the listening experience is a bit all over the place (but in a good way). 

This split messes with my OCD a bit because I’m used to bands having an equal amount of songs per side; however, my personal opinion on that subject pales in comparison to the music that both People’s Temple Project and Sleeper Wave commit to this release. Both bands are equal yet individual and that makes this whole thing a much greater experience. Good luck finding a copy of this in the wild!

You can stream and purchase the full split LP digitally from People's Temple Project below:-

People's Temple Project - https://www.facebook.com/PeoplesTempleProject

Sleeper Wave - https://www.facebook.com/sleeperwave

I know that I wished you luck with finding a copy of this split for sale but as luck would have it, there are a couple of copies still available from the links below:-

Dingleberry Records - https://www.discogs.com/seller/dingleberryrecords/profile

Zegema Beach Records - https://zegemabeachrecords.bandcamp.com/album/peoples-temple-project-sleeper-wave-split

Zegema Beach Records USA Store - https://zbrusa.com/collections/zbr-releases/products/peoples-temple-project-sleeper-wave-split-12

Akashita Corp - https://www.facebook.com/AkashitaCorp

Dingleberry Records - https://www.facebook.com/profile

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

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

People's Temple Project/Мятеж - Split 7"

Labels: Akashita Corp/Dingleberry Records/Friendly Otter Records/IFB Records/Upwind Productions/Wolf Town DIY/Zegema Beach Records

Formats: Vinyl/Digital

Release Date: 21 Nov 2015

Tracklist:

1. People's Temple Project - 1

2. People's Temple Project - 2

3. People's Temple Project - 3

4. Мятеж - Stunning Advancements In Revolution

5. Мятеж - Awake/End

Everybody's complaining that it's too hot here. As soon as gets over twenty degrees celsius, we start melting. Thankfully, it's not too bad this evening and I've got all the windows open, so my neighbours are gonna love it when I hit play on this glorious split 7". I'm continuing my ZBR review series with the split featuring US band People's Temple Project and joint US/CAN band Мятеж. If you're familiar with ZBR then you'll be familiar with both of these bands. Released on 340 copies of black wax in November 2015, it contains five tracks in total and was jointly released by several labels, all whom I've listed above and will link up below (where possible).

Starting with three songs from NYC screamo, flower violence (their words) band People’s Temple Project, you get something that’s jangly yet chaotic and shouty on opener ‘1”. It only just breaches two minutes in length, yet musically you get sudden blasts of emo-violence stowed away alongside more thoughtful and cinematic passages, where guitars and percussion sound both far apart but also really cohesive, while the vocals are used more sparingly but very effectively, thanks to their power.

‘2’ has such a nice tone to it. A twinkly guitar tone that gets a little swallowed up by the full band at the mid-point and lurches into an instrumental (at least I think it’s instrumental, though there may be subtle humming going on too), that’s really pleasant to listen to and isn’t as heavy as you might think. The heaviness is left for the rawness of ‘3’, with it’s raucous multi-vocal approach and subtle blackened screamo that makes up the first sixty seconds before an interlude of gentle guitar/percussion takes over. The musicality on show from People’s Temple Project in this song alone is worth obsessing over and it rounds out their side of this split in perfect fashion.

Мятеж steps on the loud pedal immediately with their opener ‘Stunning Advancements In Revolution’. There’s an angrier and more intense feeling going on here, with a lot more hardcore/emo-violence too. It’s hard to explain because they also have some great post-hardcore riffs that bring to mind bands like Alexisonfire and Moneen (to me anyway). That comparison is slightly apt maybe due to the Canadian connection. Мятеж’s final song ‘Awake/End’ is a slower number but is still filled with emotion. Emotion that threatens to burst right over the top, but that never does, leaving something quite beautiful in it’s wake. 

It’s really hard not to compare one band to the other on split releases like this, but inevitably it always happens. Both People’s Temple Project and Мятеж have their own takes on the genre/sub-genre here and even though this release is pretty short, it will bring a smile to your face and a warmth to your heart. 

Stream and purchase the split digitally here:-

People's Temple Project - https://www.facebook.com/PeoplesTempleProject

Мятеж - https://www.facebook.com/mrtexrebellion

Physical copies can be purchased via the labels below:-

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

Akashita Corp - https://www.facebook.com/AkashitaCorp

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

Friendly Otter Records - https://www.facebook.com/friendlyotterrex

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

Upwind Productions - https://www.facebook.com/upwindisdead

Wolf Town DIY - https://www.facebook.com/WolfTownDiy

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

Meditations In Affinity #2 (Cultivation) - Nerver/...And It's Name Was Epyon/People's Temple Project/Apostles Of Eris

Labels: Akashita Corp/The Ghost Is Clear Records/Zegema Beach Records

Formats: Vinyl/Digital

Release Date: 15 May 2019(Digital)/TBA (Vinyl)

Tracklist:

1. Nerver - General Erosion Of Morale

2. ...And Its Name Was Epyon - Side Seven

3. People's Temple Project - 2:16

4. Apostles Of Eris - The Kobodera

This week has been a bit of a write-off, which sucks. This review has been in the works for a little while as well. It's the second four-way split 7" to come from The Ghost Is Clear Records and Zegema Beach Records, as well as Akashita Corp on this occasion. It's features US post-hardcore/screamo bands Nerver, ...And It's Name Way Epyon, People's Temple Project and Apostles Of Eris. There's more to come from this 7" series so keep your eyes peeled.

Splits like this have become a great resource for discovering new bands and you can’t get any newer than Nerver, as they’ve only really surfaced over the last few months. General Erosion Of Morale is a heavy slab of post-hardcore that seems to end far sooner than it should. Such a good song though, with heavy riffs, intense percussion and hoarse vox. …And Its Name Was Epyon is a different proposition with Side Seven. There are comparisons you could draw to this band, as their melodic and spoken-word vocals are familiar, though their heavier side is utterly brilliant and compliments their sound perfectly,

Naming your song after it’s length if pretty clever (I think so anyway) and People’s Temple Project does just that on 2:16, which is an angular and experimental piece of screamo. It’s pretty violent but also awesomely musical. It doesn’t last very long but that’s fine, as all of the best things are over before you realise. Apostles Of Eris is at least a familiar name to me and their song The Kobodera is as twinkly as it is intense. Melodic riffs go hand-in-hand with emo-violence and the song ends with a mix of both lo-fi and full-throttle screamo. 

These splits have turned out great so far. Their theme is perfect with each band has their own story to tell and their own take on things, I’ll try and get the other three reviewed as and when they’re released.

Stream the split below, where it's also available to grab digitally:-

Nerver - https://www.facebook.com/nervererver/

...And Its Name Was Epyon - https://www.facebook.com/anditsnamewasepyon/

People's Temple Project - https://www.facebook.com/PeoplesTempleProject/

Apostles Of Eris - https://www.facebook.com/thegoddessprevails/

Physical copies can be pre-ordered below:-

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

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

Akashita Corp - https://www.facebook.com/AkashitaCorp/

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

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