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.

PARCH - Hell in These Eyes

Tired of all the cute fall posts littering your feed? Need something heavy and haunting to get you in the mood for Halloween? Well look no further than the new release by PARCH. New Jersey’s noise boys are back at it with another grinding EP entitled Hell in These Eyes, and it roars louder than a chainsaw in a slasher film.

Recorded in a live setting, Hell in These Eyes manages to stamp the chaotic essence of PARCH onto tape. Between my headphones is a band raging in a room, the cymbals denting as the drumsticks smash into them, the squeal of feedback through distortion pedals and blaring speakers. The vocals are throaty and furious and near impossible to pin down. Yet this is the charm of PARCH—tight performances that sound as unruly as a barfight—a charm Hell in These Eyes captures in all its frenetic glory.

The four songs that make up this EP are aggressively raw in all the right ways. “Foretold” ends so abruptly it sounds like an abandoned take. “Sunnydale” rides growling power chords and a headbanging beat, while “Alligator” dredges the waters with blast beats and mud-drenched bass. The lyrics on this record are so sarcastically nihilistic; “Clear” screams itself into existence with the line “Wake up every day with a gun to my head,” while the tape ends with devolving howls of “This town is a hole” over a collapsing band. The sonics of Hell in These Eyes are pure sludge, vicious wet death coughs of vitriol and reckless abandon.

Though less than ten minutes in length, Hell in These Eyes keeps me riled for hours. The music of PARCH hits like a shot of adrenaline, and leaves me jonesing for another fix as soon as the last song ends. Hell in These Eyes raises hell in the ears, so maybe hell ain’t such a bad place to be.

My Top Track: "Clear"

Hell in These Eyes is out on Wet Cassettes; you can also grab a copy off their Bandcamp page.

Jakals - Bat Brains

Anxiety appears to be the plague of the youth. It haunts the mind, a volatile little voice that trips us and tricks us into a constant loop of second-guessing every decision we make. There is nothing like feeling uncomfortable in your own existence, unsure that you are even worthy of existing—and yet this feeling is near-universal in today’s youth. It’s an experience that so many musicians are attempting to broach, but with their new EP Bat Brains, Boston rockers Jakals have captured that feeling of lonely terror and are showing us how to overcome it.

From the opening rush of “Porcelain” to the final fading notes of “It’s All the Same,” it’s obvious that Jakals is a band intimately familiar with disconnection. Every song sounds like it was written in a confessional—the lyrics are painfully honest, the baring of a soul that has known the depths of sadness and adversity. Lines like “I don’t belong anywhere / I’m always a stranger” and “When I was young I saw that I wasn’t enough” impart an intimacy that is almost unnerving with how much it reveals.

There is without doubt much pain and introspection woven into Bat Brains, yet the instrumentation on the EP buoys that emotion with intense energy. The vocals are powerful, taking fearless runs and delivering the timid lyrics with vicious sustain and vitality. The guitars brand the chord progressions with searing melodies and bright tones, mixing gritty fuzzes against colorful cleans. The bass thumps in the low end like an angry neighbor hitting their ceiling with a broomstick, while the drums slice out powerful grooves and fast fills.

Jakals really lay into their performances throughout this EP, giving Bat Brains a volatile sound that belies their tightly controlled and intelligent arrangements. The band drives their compositions outside of the typical 4/4 beat; the chorus of “Trauma Hoarding” rocks in 11/8, while the verse riff in “It’s All the Same” saunters in 7/4. Similarly, almost every song uses dynamics to formidable effect, designing slow-building swells of energy and effects into the song structure so that each tune bursts with a body-shaking bang. These off-kilter rhythms and tension-building moments add an intellectual kick to the songs, giving my mind much more to chew on than just a good beat and fun melody.

Jakals have captured in their EP an experience that is all-too-common to today’s youth, then stamped it with their own hard-rocking signature sound. This record simultaneously sucks me in and pushes me away, giving rise to a strange medley of emotions that I don’t quite yet have the words to describe. Bat Brains is a collection of kickass tunes that tap into the visceral essence of anxiety and loneliness—six anthems for the anxious to remind us we aren’t alone, nor are we helpless. And if ever you’ve been unsure of your worth in this world, then this record is just what you need to hear right now.

My Top Track: “The Sound of Something Else”

Jakals is currently on tour in support of Bat Brains; you can find upcoming dates and other news via their Facebook page. Then head to Spotify or Bandcamp to stream or purchase your own copy of Bat Brains.

Song Spotlight: Will Grayson's "I was Born with a Caulfield"

Artwork by Andrea Hellwig

“Be bold.”

Perhaps the most important advice ever given to me concerning art. It takes more than a little nerve to create something, even more to make something honest and true. Hard advice, but invaluable.

So much music today is born from swamps of compromise, but CT’s singer-songwriter Will Grayson has never shied away from bold decisions; rather, sprawling compositions, multifaceted arrangements, and sonic exploration are well-honed weapons in his arsenal. And lucky for us, he’s just returned with a new single, “I Was Born with a Caulfield,” one of his most ambitious and powerful takes yet.

Opening with plucky guitar chords, Will Grayson spits some quickfire spoken-word before bursting into lilting vocals as the instrumentation takes off beneath. Multiple guitars converge beneath his singing, mixing twangy clean tones with a vibrant acoustic and a wild fuzz. “I Was Born with a Caulfield” takes sharp turns between elements, the rhythm section slipping in and out to let the vocal shine and the guitars drive. A swell of reverb begins to overtake the tune as it dives into a coda bursting with handclaps, driving bass, and dolorous melodics.

“I Was Born with a Caulfield” is rich with texture and color, and beneath this vibrant landscape of fuzzy guitars and energetic grooves lies a dynamic and lively composition. The vocals lead the tune along a winding path that never circles back; rather, the song continually evolves as it goes, beginning with a soft, jubilant progression and culminating in a full-band explosion. Yet despite the lack of a chorus or verse structure, Will Grayson’s melodies and harmonic chord progressions keep me locked in as I journey with him to the final fading piano notes.

The gentle yet undeniable surge of energy that grows across the length of “I Was Born with a Caulfield” is reflected in the song’s lyrics. The opening poetics are calm, delivered in an almost sarcastic voice, until Will Grayson slips into singing with the line “A silence rallies around the room.” Yet that silence splits immediately, blooming into splashes of guitar work led by the statement “You already know what comes next.” The final suite of the single launches like a bullet with the line “The first to the door is the first to get shot,” pushing the tune’s headbanging groove to completion in a gentle collapse. Grayson’s lyrics lead this odyssey along, his writing as fearless as the composition evolving beneath his words.

“I Was Born with a Caulfield” is a beautiful balance of intelligent writing and unabashedly fun instrumentation. As a precursor to Will Grayson’s upcoming album Yet What Else After All, its fun melodies and expansive arrangements stand as good omens for this new release. Will Grayson is an artist who understands the importance of being bold in his music, a fact that sets him apart from other singer/songwriters. If “I Was Born with a Caulfield” is any indication, Yet What Else After All may be his boldest release yet, and I for one cannot wait for it.

You can find more from Will Grayson, including live shows and updates, by following him on Instagram: @willgraysonmusician. Then head over to his Bandcamp and/or Spotify and stream the new single "I was Born with a Caulfield" off his upcoming full-length, Yet What Else After All, releasing September 21st.

Glenn VeryClose - Episode 0

If you’ve had even half a conversation with me about Connecticut’s music scene, then undoubtedly you’ve heard me mention indie-rock power trio The 30th of February. They’re prolific songwriters and incredible performers, and I reviewed their latest EP Silence a few months ago, which recently saw a CD release featuring an exclusive bonus track. And as if that wasn’t enough to get me salivating, their frontman Ant just released an EP entitled Episode 0, a collection of stripped-down, dolorous tunes published under the moniker Glenn VeryClose, and I find myself completely lost in this record’s winding chords and lilting melodies.

Sonically, Episode 0 is relatively sparse, with each song stripped almost to the bones. Acoustic guitar and a plucky ukulele provide the foundation over which Ant’s haunting vocals float like fog on early morning streets. Yet he accomplishes so much with this little arsenal: “Walking Past a Burning Building” alternates between gentle melody and roaring, chorus-drenched chords, while “PDF” layers both string instruments to create cascading waves of sound. Glenn VeryClose uses simplicity to maximum effect on this EP, letting the energy and emotion of his chord progressions steep into strong elixirs of song.

The melancholy strings set the tonal foundation of Episode 0, and it’s upon this that Glenn VeryClose builds the tales and trials of each tune. The vocals on this EP are insanely mournful, each word carrying the weight of a thousand disappointments. Lines like “Hate yourself for me” from “Hate” or “Lost / in a space I created all myself” in “Vulnerable” shape atmospheres of intense emotion that are blatant, unencumbered by veil or metaphor. Each line is terribly powerful, and yet in these same songs, the speaker lacks agency to act upon that power, instead asking for permission with the questions “Can I hate you?” and “Am I allowed to stay?”

It is this lyrical approach, one of complete abandon, that makes this EP resonate so strongly with me. Glenn VeryClose embeds the very essence of depression, a simultaneous hopelessness against change and stasis, in every single line. It’s a viciously honest portrayal of how it feels to be alone, even if it’s just in your head. And yet Glenn VeryClose does not simply wallow in this darkness—by writing these songs, committing them to hand and heart and record, he thus begins a journey towards acceptance, and hopefully, healing.

No matter how many times I spin this EP, Episode 0 still hits me in the heart like the loss of a loved one. This record offers an intimate, stripped-down look into the world of an insanely prolific songwriter, and each of the four tracks spells out in heartbreaking detail how tough that world can be. With Episode 0, Glenn VeryClose bares all that there is to bare, trusting us as the listener to understand, to believe, to accept. It’s a vivid listening experience, and as you choose to venture into this odyssey, know you will not return the same as you arrived.

My Top Track(s): “Vulnerable” and “PDF” (I can’t choose!)

You can find more from Glenn VeryClose, including upcoming shows and news, on Facebook. Then head over to his Bandcamp page and grab your own copy of Episode 0.

Unpleasant Peasants - Pre-Apocalyptic EP

For too long of a time, in my mind, “heavy” music meant low-tuned guitars, crashing breakdowns, and walls of distortion. Drop-A chugs, blast beats, and vicious screams felt not just like hallmarks of heavy music, but requirements. Never on earth would a 22-year-old me have called a mandolin “aggressive” or thought an acoustic guitar could thump notes that hit me like they were pouring out of a Marshall stack. Yet in exploring folk-punk in recent years, I’ve learned a thing or two about how powerful this sound can be, and after listening to Unpleasant Peasant’s Pre-Apocalyptic EP, I am reminded at just how much weight can come from performance and songwriting.

The instrumentation of Pre-Apocalyptic EP is relatively sparse, built only on mandolin, bass, and a washboard. Yet Unpleasant Peasants use their musical weapons to amazing effect, creating a vibrant and vicious sound at speeds I would balk to attempt. The band rakes at their instruments as if trying to scrub blood from their surfaces, rocking progressions that are fast, bombastic, and insanely danceable. Above it all, their collective gang vocals ring powerful and true, a chaotic chorus of disgruntled voices working together as one and building into unstoppable frenzies of energy.

Unpleasant Peasants are just as virulent and hard-hitting with their lyrics. Much of the writing on their Pre-Apocalyptic EP delivers scathing yet eloquent critiques of today’s society. “It’s Just Business” tackles the repetitive, oft-fruitless struggles of trying to survive in the consumer culture that dominates every aspect of life. “Civilization” sharpens this criticism to a point that Unpleasant Peasants use to prod the sleeping awake: “The world is not in your TV / The world is not in your phone / The world’s not inside your head / It’s outside of your home.” Yet perhaps the best and most searing commentary comes from the opening track “The Farmer,” whose protagonist is hell-bent on destroying anything and everything—be it plant, animal, or human—that stands in the way of his profits. Unpleasant Peasants pair intelligent writing with aggressive performances so that each word hits the listener like a K.O. punch.

Unpleasant Peasants are another testament to the true power of folk-punk, proving with their music that substance in songwriting and power in performance can make for some of the heaviest music around. Every song on this EP is rife with powerful screams and heady riffs; that breakdown and coda of “Pre-Apocalyptic” get me just as riled and ready to move as any hardcore band could. This band’s Pre-Apocalyptic EP certainly carries the weight of the world’s end, yet if this record is any indicator, the future will be looking quite bright for these Peasants.

My Top Track: It’s Just Business

You can find more from Unpleasant Peasants, including news and upcoming shows, on Facebook. Then head over to their Bandcamp page to grab your own copy of their Pre-Apocalyptic EP.