Congratulations - Demo

Labels: Skeletal Lighting/Zegema Beach

Formats: Tape/Digital

Release Date: 26 Nov 2014

Tracklist: 

1. Aren't You Frightened Skinny, Scary Skeleton?

2. Stars And Lights

3. This Summer

4. Your Halo Glistens

5. Gospel

I'm taking a break from my endless inbox to chalk up another review in my Zegema Beach Records roster series. This was the first demo from short-lived Canadian screamo/indie band Congratulations. It was released in late 2014 on tape and digitally via both Skeletal Lightning Records and Zegema Beach Records, coming three years before the band's split with Swiss post-hardcore band The Rabbit Theory, which I reviewed back in 2018. This demo contains five tracks and is long sold out as far as I can tell.

Another weekend of isolation, doing jobs and jamming music due to the current situation is actually fine with me. I’m comfortable in my own company and this demo is a startlingly good accompaniment to the moment I find myself in. Opener ‘Aren’t You Frightened Skinny, Scary Skeleton?’ is just a beautiful piece of post-hardcore. It’s not overtly violent and is cinematic, with vocals that go from harsh screams to considered semi-spoken and clean. The instrumentation is very much the same, with a lot of melody and atmosphere.

‘Stars And Lights’ brings to mind bands like Interpol and very early Killers during the intro, as the melodic guitar plays a very indie-like bunch of riffs. It’s a groove-filled, danceable track that would sit alongside those bands and I Love Your Lifestyle for sure. I love it!

I’m definitely going to have to go back and spin their split with The Rabbit Theory. It’s a pit they wrote and released so few songs, but quality over quantity is welcome all the same. ‘This Summer’ is heavier than the song it follows, but only really in the verses. Congratulations had such a great dynamic on this demo and it’s a lot more polished and complete than you’d expect of a first release.

The other thing with noting about this demo is the compact song-lengths, they’re long enough for Congratulations to say what they want to say with their music but short enough not to loose impact. Penultimate song ‘Your Halo Glistens’ is a glorious ballad (of sorts) that makes me want to leave these four walls and walk around the snowy neighbourhood with it filling my ears. I might do that later on, in a safe and socially distanced manner of course!

It’s fitting then that the demo closer is a song like ‘Gospel’, which is at the other end of the spectrum, being louder and higher in tempo. Punk rhythms are joined by distant screams and both rumbling bass, and that glorious guitar tone that adds so much to the song and indeed the whole release. 

Congratulations was a band that went too soon in my opinion (though I'm not fully convinced that they aren't active anymore, perhaps someone could confirm this). This demo is perfect. I’m going to try and seek a copy out after this. If you’ve not heard this or of the band in general, then rectify that now, as you can listen and grab the demo digitally as a name-your-price download.

I was wrong when I presumed these tapes were sold out, as there appears to be copies still available from Zegema Beach Records here - http://www.zegemabeachrecords.com/zegema-beach-releases/congratulations-cassette

Skeletal Lightning Records - https://www.facebook.com/skeletallightning

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

Youth Novel - Turned Around Abruptly Beside A Mirror And Jumped At My Own Reflection EP

Labels: Skeletal Lightning/Zegema Beach Records

Formats: Tape/Digital

Release Date: 23 Jul 2014

Tracklist:

1. I

2. II

3. III

4. IV

It's surprisingly still everywhere this evening. It's as if people have decided that silence is the best option. I'm not complaining, though I might be about to shatter that silence, albeit briefly thanks to this EP from short lived US emotional hardcore band Youth Novel. It was released on tape and digitally via Skeletal Lightning and Zegema Beach Records back in 2014. Youth Novel also released a split with Coma Regalia, a single-sided lathe record and appeared on the Eight Feet Under Vol.1 split before a long period of silence.

Youth Novel’s music doesn’t hang around very long on this EP and opener ‘I’ is a great mix of frantic hardcore and jangly emo. The harsh vocals take the lead, but are joined by clean singing to calm the nerves, as the instrumentation covers both off both bases. The sound is dramatic at times but is also super musical. Even after all these years, I’m still blown away by the creativity and musicianship of bands that seemingly went under most people’s radar.’ II’ is considerably shorter than this EP’s opener but you wouldn’t know. The way that Youth Novel crafts and delivers this song is remarkable given it’s running time. Their instrumentation and vocals allow it to linger for way longer than it’s sub two-minute length.

There’s something slightly more mainstream about ‘III’ but only in the riffs, which seem to take from indie (and not the boring kind). It’s not artsy but it has something about it that’s hard to ignore and while the band drags everything back in a heavier direction over time, there’s no denying the infectious feel of the music. EP closer ‘IV’ seems to explode in volume as the melodic guitars ring out. It’s quite fitting that the longest song here is also the last but that often works best and here it’s no different. Caustic at times but also brilliantly layered.

Life might throw you many curveballs right now but there’s always the warm embrace of music to comfort you. What better way to find comfort than in bands like Youth Novel. This EP (and band) may have come and gone without many of you noticing, but it’s not too late to reverse that. Brilliant.

Youth Novel - https://www.facebook.com/YouthNovel/

Stream and grab this EP as a name-your-price-download from the releasing labels below:-

Skeletal Lightning - 

Zegema Beach Records - 

Physical tape copies are fully sold out. Maybe there will be a repress someday.

Skeletal Lightning - https://www.facebook.com/skeletallightning/

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