A very fresh release has come from Sacramento alt punk band MASTOIDS. which brings noise and aggression with Emergence Tremens. To start, I'll say this, they don't make 'em like this anymore. I'm always impressed when today's indie bands can be time lords and transport me back to an earlier era with the aesthetic and recording style. While their goal is to put a modern twist on the punk genre, I can't help but feel I'm somewhere in the late ‘80s to early ’90's.
This album is notably aggressive with hard and fast guitar riffs from Cole Apperson. A standout performance for me came from bassist Ryan Kendall who brought weight and heaviness to the music. Complementing everything is the wildly complex drum action from Wyatt Cermak. You've got subversive lyrics which are delivered by Apperson. There is no doubt these guys are having fun and unafraid to go hard and heavy. I enjoyed their "devil may care" romp into the seediest pits of punk rock that I personally love. As the kids will say, there's "no chill" as far as this album is concerned. It's pretty much an unstoppable train on greased rails the whole way through, which is fine by me. However a little diversity in this train ride may have helped. The songs are tough to identify as individual movements at times. The group has put an emphasis on elevating the genres they touch on. However this is where I find a disconnect. To me, I didn't get a huge sense of modern touches while going through the eight tracks. The production is in good working order. I believe everything sounds as intended and so perhaps in that aspect there is a lot of modern touch. However in musical execution, the work sounds very traditional, almost to the point of sounding dated if not for the mixing and mastering. When I say "they don't make 'em like this anymore" I mean the music sounds as though it was plucked from that era and given modern production. Another issue I had came from the vocals of Apperson. Sometimes they worked, but there times they weren't as effective. I understand the want to be aggressive, subversive, and contrarian to traditional vocal techniques. However, even with some of the most hardcore punk bands, there is a method to the madness. I think Apperson needs to put some polish on his vocal technique, find something a bit more signature. This could help make his work distinctive, but also help avoid sounding grating or untrained. When you're in the business of making a statement, it's all gotta feel intentional and while you want people to loose control, you have to efficiently deliver that intent. In the end, I had a love/meh relationship with Emergence Tremens. I applaud the trouser melons it took to go as hard as they did. I also have to commend the group on finding sounds from the alt and punk genres that just so happen to be my favorite and giving them new life. I think a little more modern updating and some vocal adjustments could really make a difference. Recommended.
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