Heartbreaking Bravery

Editor’s Note: There’s been a month-long gap in coverage, thanks to near-incessant travel and other extenuating circumstances. The following run of posts that contain this note will be posts that should have appeared sometime within the past several weeks. Use these posts as an opportunity to catch up to the present release cycle or to simply discover some new music. Either way, enjoy.

Two more people that were brought into my life largely because of this site were Charly Bliss‘ Spencer Fox and Stereogum scribe (and A Year’s Worth of Memories contributor) Gabriela June Tully Claymore. Claymore, over the course of time I’ve been fortunate enough to know her, occasionally talked about a new project she’d started with Fox called Cadet Kelly. Over the past several weeks those songs have begun slowly emerging. First came the explosive DBTS:BS3 highlight “Argentina” and now the band has unleashed the 56-second basement pop blitz of “Throttle You” as well.

In just two songs, the trio’s proved to be a powerful force, with “Throttle You” more acutely demonstrating their brute strength. Fox’s scorching guitar work remains as tasteful as ever, going from an intimidating scream to a gentle lull at the flip of a switch, while Claymore’s vocal tendencies — especially in terms of cadence — go a fair distance in separating this band from their peers as something a touch more unique.

Lyrically, the band skews more towards the mundane than the fantastic (a trait that’s served bands like Krill and Tenement very well over the years), ultimately revealing Claymore’s knack for relatable storytelling. It’s worth pointing out, again, that “Throttle You” clocks in at less than a minute because the band packs more into those 56 seconds than most bands can manage in five. Unbelievably, everything hits its mark with enough emphasis to send someone reeling.

“Throttle You” is a formidable song from a band that’s only just establishing its footing. Intense and unforgiving, it demonstrates the kind of long-gestating fury that “Argentina” only referenced in hints. If the rest of the material the band’s been assembling can come close to matching the powder keg that “Throttle You” set off, then they’ll be a very popular talking point on these pages in the future. For now, the best anyone can do is just listen to “Throttle You” and then hit repeat so many times the button breaks.

Listen to “Throttle You” below and keep an eye on this site for more updates on the band in the future.