28 | September | 2018 | Heartbreaking Bravery

September 28, 2018

Young Jesus – Deterritory (Music Video)

It’s been a while since anything went up on these pages and there are a lot of reasons behind yet another interim but, as ever, the work continues to be done behind the scenes. Five posts were scheduled to go up before that break and will be going live today. This is one of those posts.

There have been few bands that this publication pushed as hard or as consistently over its near-five year span as Young Jesus, who have released two astonishing albums in that time span and are on the brink of unveiling a third. The Whole Thing Is Just Here is the first true release for Saddle Creek, who wisely snapped the band up after catching the live show — a near-religious experience — to issue S/T a proper (re-)release. The move seems set to pay dividends for the label as the band’s constantly realizing their voice through a series of unpredictable progressions, rendering all of their new material revelatory.

“Deterritory” is the latest evidence of that curious trend. It’s an absolutely towering track that leans hard into the band’s refined sense of exploration, swinging without notice from ambient noise-punk to post-hardcore to Saddle Creek’s signature open-road, Americana-tinted indie rock, all in six minutes. Bandleader John Rossiter’s always had a penchant for the arts and raw creation that’s anchored by an uncommon understanding, something that’s brought to the forefront once again in the simple but strangely compelling clip for “Deterritory”, which takes its time in playing out and trusts its viewing audience and doesn’t offer a clean-cut resolution, reflecting what separates this band from so many of their contemporaries: Young Jesus know, now more than ever, nothing’s more important than the journey.

Watch “Deterritory” below and pre-order The Whole Thing Is Just Here from Saddle Creek here.

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September 28, 2018

IDLES – Great (Music Video)

IDLES are on the verge of releasing a legitimate Album of the Year candidate in Joy As An Act of Resistance, a profound protest record with a borderless message that’s resonating deeply in an especially volatile political climate in major countries across the world. Last year, the band released what this site would eventually name the 2017 Music Video of the Year in “Mother” (which remains one of the best clips of the decade) and have a genuine shot at repeating being granted the honor of that distinction this year with the feel-good reclamation of “Danny Nedelko“.

“Great” is the fourth music video to arrive from IDLES this year and continues an unparalleled run of brilliance in the format since the release of “Mother”. Directed by Theo Atkins, “Great” may be the most straightforward clip from the band’s present album cycle, consisting of alternating shots between moments of common, everyday life and live performance. Edited together, “Great” effectively underscores the declaration that comes at the end of the song: “because we’re all in this together.”

IDLES is a band of the people, for the people. They seethe, they rant, and they provoke, but they always get their point across. We’re all embroiled in fights that extend far beyond ourselves, making calls for unification, reminders of positive self-worth, and a willingness to demolish outdated ideals in the pursuit of progress monumentally important. “Great” is the kind of warning shot that sends an abundantly clear message of prioritizing empathy, inclusiveness, and community, which is a message that this site will stand proudly behind.

Listen to “Great” below and pre-order Joy As An Act of Resistance here.

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September 28, 2018

Lonely Parade – Olive Green (Stream)

One of 2018’s more exhilarating breakout acts, Lonely Parade have crafted an immensely enticing lead-in to The Pits, thanks to the strength of the record’s advance singles. “Olive Green” is the latest piece of evidence suggesting that The Pits is primed to be one of the year’s best records. Once again, Lonely Parade deliver a work that surges off the energy that comes with their territory (the intersection of basement pop and post-punk), offering up an incredibly catchy run of razor-sharp guitar work, an aggressive rhythm section, and a pointed vocal delivery that oscillates between confidently sardonic and meaningfully unhinged. In short: it’s brilliant.

Listen to “Olive Green” below and pre-order The Pits from Buzz here.

September 28, 2018

Pile – Cup (Stream)

Few bands have earned the type of reverence among its listeners and contemporaries as Pile. Intricate, winding, dynamic compositions have brought them unending admiration and made their discography staggeringly dense, which is something that Odds and Ends addresses. A record that compiles the band’s 7″ releases, compilation contribution, and other assorted castoffs, Odds and Ends serves as something of a career summation and testament.

“Cup” is the record’s lone new, unreleased original track and it’s as unwieldy, tense, and breathtakingly go-for-broke as anything in the band’s towering catalog. After what many see as the best release of the band’s storied DIY-centric career, “Cup” is another bracing reminder that Pile are still on an ascending trajectory, suggesting that they may never truly hit a genuine peak. Raucous, intelligent, and deceptively subtle, “Cup” is the exact brand of brilliance we’ve come to except from what several have breathlessly hailed as the best band in the world.

Listen to “Cup” below and pre-order Odds and Ends from Exploding In Sound here.