Destroy All Music Presents: Going Home

The DIY music scene is one of the most committed and fostering communities I’ve ever been lucky to be part of, but it’s a community in trouble. The very nature of DIY requires continuous effort from artists, promoters, fans and venues, and this last piece, the DIY space—arguably the most imperative of all—is in danger of disappearing. Issues like unavailability or unaffordability of space and the ever-present threat of shutdown from cranky neighbors or authority figures are taking their toll on the existence of DIY venues.

Without a safe space to create and promote and perform, artists and their art also become threatened. But CT label/distro/collective Destroy All Music is striving to reverse the damage with the release of their new compilation Going Home.

Though still a relatively young project, Destroy All Music have already proven themselves a pivotal part of CT’s DIY music scene. Besides regularly hosting and promoting shows, their very first compilation released earlier this year forwarded all proceeds to the victims of California’s vicious wildfires, so it’s no surprise that they’ve organized a similar campaign to support their own community. And that’s why every penny collected from sales goes directly to supporting important DIY venues in New England.

Going Home is packed with tunes from seminal New England acts, reflecting the massive spectrum of genres and styles this region has to offer. Like Destroy All Music, these acts are all banding together to breathe life into their community, donating their tunes to the record and the cause. Compilations like this not only provide a gateway into the many artists honing their craft in New England, but bring those scattered sects of the DIY community together, reminding us that we are all working towards the same goal despite the distances between us.

Destroy All Music and the many talented bands on Going Home are the very essence of the DIY scene, coming together and leading the way to keep their community alive and thrashing. If you’ve ever been to a basement show or “asked a punk” where to catch your favorite touring act, you know how important this community is. How creative. How resilient.

DIY is where every band starts, where your favorite artist started. So pick up a copy of this comp today, and help make sure there’s always a space for artists to grow, and for fans to support them.

Going Home is available digitally on Destroy All Music’s Bandcamp page. You can also grab physical copies starting December 1st from Destroy All Music's distro or from any of the fine acts on the compilation.

By Torchlight - The Flames of the Phoenix, Pt. 1

These days it seems difficult for a singer-songwriter to really deliver something surprising. The “acoustic guitar and soulful singing” trope has been all but trampled by Top 40 radio, not to mention a lack of innovation and—too often—honesty.

But this genre is not nearly dead. I’ve already written a few articles lauding some of the pioneers of this sound, and now can proudly add New Jersey’s By Torchlight to that list, whose EP The Flames of the Phoenix, Pt. 1 breathes new life into the embers of this genre.

As far as arrangements go, The Flames of the Phoenix, Pt. 1 takes a simple formula and creates something expansive and magnificent. By Torchlight relies almost entirely on the acoustic guitar for instrumentation, yet their approaches to both composition and tone combine to make it the most expansive acoustic guitar I’ve ever heard. “The Watcher and the Damned” intermingles crushing chords and sweet melodies, while “The Edge of Forever” layers multiple arpeggiating riffs to create a wavering sonic dreamscape that mirror's the song’s ethereal lyrics. Yet the guitar is not alone on this EP: “The Edge of Forever” stacks a bass onto the arrangement, and by the very end of the record we have a full band marching alongside By Torchlight’s driving chords. 

The Flames of the Phoenix, Pt. 1 is a thematic record, both in lyrics and in composition. The writing layers fantastic imagery on the motif of a journey, bringing the record into the realm of an epic adventure. As the tale grows across the EP, so does the energy; the soft picking of “Child of the Edge” is quickly replaced by furious strumming and rasping yells before the record ends. By Torchlight approaches every aspect of their writing with intelligence and intention, making The Flames of the Phoenix, Pt. 1 a cohesive and riveting listening experience.

By Torchlight takes a small sound and makes it massive, bringing a tale to life with their instrument like a traveling bard. But The Flames of the Phoenix, Pt. 1 does more than just tell that tale—it plays it out for us, using language and instrumentation to sculpt vivid scenes for the audience. It’s an honest and refreshing take on the tag of “singer-songwriter,” and I for one am excited to see where By Torchlight will lead us next.

My Top Track: “Raise the Dead”

Both The Flames of the Phoenix, Pt. 1 and By Torchlight’s latest single “Homecoming” are streaming on Bandcamp and Spotify.