Zugzwang - Flu

One of the best parts about my local scene is that it can be so diverse in sound. I've been to shows featuring blues rock back-to-back with psychedelia and hardcore bands. Singer-songwriters regularly share the same bill as prog-metal and punk artists. What's more, so many of these acts are creating their own genres, taking aspects of their varied surroundings and shaping a sound we've never heard before. And excuse my language, but that's fuckin' exciting. 

Which brings me to this act. Zugzwang are a three-piece CT band that blends catchy with aggression—punk instrumentation overlaid with addictive melodies. They’ve got a perfect blend of intellect and attitude that really sounds like no one else. I’ve been hooked since their demo dropped in 2015, and their latest EP Flu hits like a haymaker. 

Zugzwang’s sound is persistent and pounding, like an ex with a bone to pick. The vocals are frustrated, each note on the brink of a breakdown. The instruments cohere to one another, each punch of the kick followed by the ringing of the bass guitar, the rhythm section backing a guitar laden with color tones and sickly-sweet melodies. Yet the band refuses to fall into a rut even across these four songs: “Stuck” steadily bangs its head against a wall while “4th of July” flaunts slash beats and speedy palm mutes. Each song has its own feel and flavor, mixing catchy hooks and grinding riffs that are too damn accessible to exclude even the most pompous of music fans.

For all its primal punk energy, Flu is also extremely danceable, no track more so than the lead single “Getting Through.” The band launches full-force into a riff that is both groove and grit, led by a viciously delicious bassline that runs the entire neck of the instrument, while the drums get hit so hard that I'm surprised we can't hear the heads breaking. The vocal is searing, yearning for more, begging to get beyond an existence that is at best unsatisfactory and at worst unbearable. More than any track on Flu, “Getting Through” repeatedly gets caught between my ears to linger all day long (and believe me, I’m not complaining). 

 

Whether you are nauseated by the sterile state of radio or just looking to dig some infectious grooves, Flu holds your antidote, a record that refuses to sit comfortably in any one sound or genre. Zugzwang’s music is proof that CT has a ton to offer, that there is sincere and exciting creative force bottled up in this state, just waiting to be released. So don’t sleep on this record, on this band, on this scene—for their sake, and for yours. 

My top track: “Stuck” 

You can find more from Zugzwang, including upcoming live shows and news, on Facebook. Then grab your own copy of Flu at their Bandcamp page.

Down with Rent - Like a Pane of Breaking Glass

I am very fortunate to be a witness to a talented, diverse, and progressive local music scene, and I think it’s about time I used this platform, small though it may be, to shout out some of those local acts whose incredible live performances and immersive recordings are making this the best time and place for music. So, let’s kick things off with Like a Pane of Breaking Glass, the latest and greatest release by local Connecticut rippers Down with Rent.

Clocking in at barely eight minutes, Like a Pane of Breaking Glass delivers a mainline dose of vicious hardcore punk straight to the brain. Down with Rent takes the well-worn template of grinding guitars and slash beats and smashes it into something wholly unique and unrelenting—the song “Down with Rent” sounds like a race between the band members, the guitar gaining on the bass in the verse only to be overtaken by the drums in the chorus. “Sins and Needles” all but demands slam-dancing with its blistering guitar riffs, while the title track swings the spotlight onto the rhythm section, drums and bass crashing against each other in a tsunami of sound.

Like a Pane of Breaking Glass exhibits Down with Rent’s visceral tendencies towards fast tempos and loud screams, but the opening track “Anchors” delves even farther into that energy. Kicking off with a bombastic, overdriven bassline, the band quickly falls into a pounding riff that sounds like Godzilla stomping through Tokyo. The primeval, desperate vocals bring a volatility to the atmosphere, punctuating the verse with a throaty scream of “Do you know how Atlas felt?” Down with Rent wields this trudging tempo for as long as they can bear, but as the song nears its end, they become fed up with it, cutting the time in half and careening towards a catastrophic end capped by the defiant statement: “You say that you hold up the world / But you’re just the anchor.”

Without a doubt, Like a Pane of Breaking Glass is a power-packed EP that exudes energy and fervor; my only complaint is simply that there’s not more of it. Down with Rent collects the rage of their generation and turns it outwards at the world, seeking to shake the planet itself from Atlas’ grasp. If you have the chance to catch one of their furious and feedback-laden live shows, do not miss out—just prepare to lose your voice as you shout along.

My top track: “Anchors”

You can find more from Down with Rent, including upcoming live shows and news, on Facebook. Then grab your own copy of Like a Pane of Breaking Glass at their Bandcamp page, out via Destroy All Music.