Sadness - ________

Labels: Larry Records/Hunk Of Plastic

Formats: Tape/Digital

Release Date: 05 Nov 2021

Tracklist:

1. See You In The Orange Light

2. Orange Love

3. On A Green

4. I Can't Say Goodbye

I have a lot to add to my existing review schedule but before I get anywhere near that, I've got the second of two Sadness reviews to write (and the third to feature a recent release from Larry Records). The increasingly prolific US post-black metal/shoegaze band released this untitled EP back in November of last year digitally. Since it's release, Larry Records has dropped (and subsequently sold out of) a limited tape run earlier in January and rumour has it that UK label Hunk Of Plastic will have their own run of tapes  out later this year. Let's get into it...

I love the artwork for this release. It’s simple yet it tugs at my heartstrings when I look at that seemingly sad rabbit, that adorns the cover. EP opener ‘See You In The Orange Light’ points heavily to the artwork. What begins as a peaceful and bright song thanks to it’s melody, takes on a different form when the heavier instrumentation comes into view. With that said though, the use of clean chorus-like singing keeps things bright, while Sadness’s harsh vocals sit deep within the mix. As with Motionless, Watching You that I reviewed a little while ago, Sadness continues to push boundaries further.

There are moments on this EP that remind me of J/K-Pop, such as the bouncing electronic synth melodies that are employed at the beginning of ‘Orange Love’. It’s quite the juxtaposition when held up against the harsh vocals and the guitar/percussion, which are very much in the background. It’s a joy to listen to either way and not at all expected. 

It’s hard to put into words how uplifting this release is. ‘On A Green’, with it’s choral vocals really takes you far away from the premise of post-black metal and into a sub-genre that’s defined only by Sadness. I’m perfectly fine with variation and outside influences when they’re woven into extreme metal like this. I mean, calling it extreme metal at this point it well…pointless. All I know is that it’s genuinely enjoyable.

The song lengths here are not just your usual three-or-so-minutes and thank god for that, with each one so far clocking in at near seven minutes, until closer ‘I Can’t Say Goodbye’ at least. Here, you’re greeted with well over double that. Soothing tones lull you in before Sadness builds up to one more round of subtly dissonant shoegaze and black metal. It gathers up so many layers and textures, which make up something that’s truly engrossing and way bigger than expectations could prepare you for. 

This collection of songs should be played on repeat over and over again, such is the craftsmanship that went into creating it. Sadness once again proves that the deeper you dig, the better the surprises get (in musical terms anyway). Listen to it for yourselves if you don’t believe me.

You can stream and purchase this EP for $1 (or more) from Sadness below:-

Sadness - https://www.facebook.com/sadnessmusicofficial

As mentioned above, tape copies from Larry Records are sold out, but keep an eye on Hunk of Plastic's Instagram page for news on a new pressing coming soon.

Larry Records - https://www.facebook.com/larryscrammo

Hunk Of Plastic - @hunkofplastic

Sadness - Motionless, Watching You

Labels: Self-Released/Larry Records

Formats: Digital/Tape

Release Date: 24 Oct 2021

Tracklist:

1. Blue

2. Your Train Is Leaving

I've been ordering a lot of records/cds/tapes over the last week or so. You'd think that writing about more music here would make me want to buy more, but you'd be wrong. It's actually a damn good distraction from pulling the trigger in online stores. Discogs states that Sadness has a 35 strong release catalogue, which is astounding given that the project has only been in existence since 2014 (if those stats are correct). My introduction to Sadness came via Avantgarde Music offshoot Flowing Downward, but this is the first time I've featured the band here. This EP was released back in October of last year and is due for a limited tape release via Larry Records very soon indeed!

It’s nearly the end of another week and I’ve been looking forward to sitting down to do this all day. I had another review in mind, but I guess that’ll come tomorrow evening instead. For now, the soothing sounds of Sadness will wash over me. Now, in typical fashion as soon as I say ‘Blue’ is soothing, those tones dissipate. In their place comes heavy, almost crashing instrumentation. The vocals; however, are anything but with clean melody sitting nestled within the music. There are moments here where the instruments take over and the vocals fade, where you may hear distant black metal-like screams (though my ears might be playing tricks on me here). The mid-section of ‘Blue’ is a treat with emo/pop style guitar and melodies swirling all around, but don’t expect those textures to go on forever, as harsh screams do finally overpower the song, even if for brief moments. Joined again by clean singing and towering layers of guitars and percussion, this one song feels like a journey in itself. 

The EP’s second song ‘Your Train Is Leaving’ covers the same trajectory as ‘Blue’, starting out gently and then building up quickly, but this time it’s a much more off-kilter effort with a greater emphasis on black metal. It definitely shows the other side of Sadness. Atmospheric black metal takes many forms nowadays and bands like Sadness are leading the way with their creativity and unapologetic use of pop-sensibilities. ‘Your Train Is Leaving’ is less about those sensibilities yet it still retains a catchiness, especially where the riffs are concerned. Much more metallic and almost akin to post-hardcore at times. It demonstrates the crossover that’s happening between post-hardcore and black metal, even if there are purists that bemoan such a thing. The true atmosphere comes in the last five-minutes, where train whistles and adjacent samples are spliced together with quiet guitar, which sometimes descend into occasional cacophonies of noise. 

They say that beauty (and art in this case) is in the eye of the beholder. As we start to take small and tentative steps towards normality again, the art that we treasure will have the opportunity to touch the hearts of others. In the case of music, bands like Sadness will be there to help cement a place (or a moment) in time. Listening to Motionless, Watching You feels like stepping out into the bright sun for the first time, being blinded by the light before your senses take over. Breathe it in, savour it and go out into the world.

You can stream and purchase the EP directly from Sadness below:-

Sadness - https://www.facebook.com/sadnessmusicofficial

Info on the tape release can be found here (I hope I've not missed the boat on that! Please correct me if I'm wrong) - https://www.facebook.com/larryscrammo

Copies may also be available in Europe via Hunkofplastic Records. You can find them on Instagram.