Heartbreaking Bravery

Bueno, The Exquisites, Honey Bucket, Toby Coke, Dada, Warehouse, Connections, The Conquerors, Glenn Davis, Rangers, Gonjasufi, Ski Saigon, Russian Circles, Cool Ghouls, Fraternal Twin, Wildhoney, Cool American, Twist, and Vomitface have all put out strong new tracks over the past two weeks, which is roughly the amount of time this space has experienced a mini-hiatus. That time of (briefly) sustained stagnancy comes to an end tonight with a resurgence of posts covering the worthwhile material that’s emerged in that time. Kicking things off is a post that headlights one of the very strongest tracks from that crop: Bested’s “Waves”.

A lot of acts with ties to Roomrunner have been making increasingly excellent music throughout the course of 2016 and this new solo project from drummer Bret Lanahan pushes those limits to an exhilarating apex. “Waves”, the first song to be released from a forthcoming 7″ release on site favorite Accidental Guest, is a turbo-fueled jolt of pure aggression that never loses sight of its melodic overtones.

In a manner not too dissimilar from Meat Wave, the project mixes a variety of ’90s influences that range from propulsive noise acts to slacker punk and creates something that’s both familiar and bracing in the process. The verses here are sledgehammers set on annihilation while the chorus looks skyward, even though its narrative is decidedly downtrodden. In all, it’s a galvanizing listen that announces Lanahan’s project (which quickly evolved into a full band lineup following the recording of this 7″) with the kind of determined confidence that makes them impossible to ignore.

Listen to “Waves” below and keep an eye on Accidental Guest for the pre-orders.