Max Cohen and James Eidson are the members behind Noiseland. They released Unwelcome which is a five song EP. There is a clear indie post-punk vibe here. I would say the band Interpol came to mind and the predecessors that often get mentioned next to them like Joy Division.
I like the songwriting, lyrics and melodies. In all honesty I had a harder time getting past the lo-fi aesthetics which in all honesty need works even for something considered lo-fi. They open with a cover from a guy who is known for embracing lo-fi - Phil Elverum. The duo decides to give song an aggressive beat and layers of white noise. They hit more of a post-punk/shoegaze instead of the dissonant atmosphere you hear on the original. It’s on “Half a Gulf” where I really heard the similarities to vocalists like Ian Curtis and Paul Banks with the latter being more prominent. The lyrics are interpretive. “Stuck in a home where I can't see the water/Stuck in a home where I can't leave the room/Looking to find an ice cube to bite on/Hear it crack under every chew”. The highlight was “Walking Song” mainly because how infectious the vocal melodies are. I nervously laughed at the opening lyrics being sixteen years older then “Getting older stopped being fun when I was 23 now I'm almost done with my second drink and the room's still spinning”. And in my opinion your 30’s are great. The band makes a stylistic leap into 80’s new wave. It’s not exactly Cut Copy but the song had its moments. “Night Light” is an overly distorted song that fell somewhere between Franz Ferdinand and Interpol, I think the bands priority moving forward should be into improving the production/recording quality. The thing that's often harder to tolerate than just lo-fi recordings are inconsistencies between songs. That’s what you have hear on “Night Light” which has a very different sonic imprint then “Walking song." The duo have some talent and skill and think with the proper production they can take the songs to the next level. I hope to hear that soon.
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