by LE Francis
It’s early September & summer is almost over. There’s a haunting, liminal quality to this time of the year & strangely enough I found the theme woven through a handful of this week’s new release picks. The theme is present in the alchemical evolution of Closure in Moscow’s sound, and in the harsh dichotomy of Courtney LaPlante’s vocal style bleeding into the production of Spiritbox’s latest single.
The days are getting shorter, the daylight hours dwindling, but there’s a lot of exciting music on the precipice of release & we have a lot to look forward to even as we shift into the darker months of the year.
Anyway, here’s a quick look at some of the new tracks I’ve listened to this month.
“Keeper of the Lake” Closure in Moscow
The third single from the eclectic Australian prog band’s long-awaited new album “Soft Hell” is a choppy one. The song shifts between dreamy, unmoored interludes & funky, heavily punctuated analyses of a love that just can’t be released. The track — & the other two recently-released singles — have this strange whisper, an undercurrent of familiarity to them, while still sounding like something entirely new & of this time. This is something Closure in Moscow has been consistently doing since their 2008 EP “The Penance and the Patience.” As someone who came into the fanbase upon the release of “First Temple,” I remember when they released “Pink Lemonade” (2014) & the fan reaction seemed scattershot. I read way too many reviews about how it was too pop, too mainstream, how it wasn’t anything like “First Temple” — even though it absolutely was. But the release of these singles really show how the band has evolved, taking all of those supposedly incongruent elements & transmuting them into something truly unique, something you could not mistake as coming from anyone other than them. There is some of the hook-laden shine here from “Pink Lemonade” but also the noodly, post-hardcore feel of “First Temple.” The production is a little different, a little more honed in, & there is an interesting use of empty space in the track’s rhythm. But overall the song is classic Closure & it definitely pulls you in (& pulls you down until you’re…).
“scarlet” always other
I’ve been a fan of always other for awhile, tuning into Jack’s music after they made a song for a leftist Twitch streamer that I tuned into compulsively during the height of the pandemic. They know how to cultivate a mood with their music, creating a wide, lush, soft-reverb landscape & populating it with poetic, emotionally-resonant lyrics — “the earth is lacking / when you look too close / there’s bodies drifting / away from me.” The vocal layering is enchanting, pulling the listener into the gentle current of the shimmery guitar to be lightly jarred against the almost ‘80s pop vibe of the drumbeat. This is the perfect song to listen to while stargazing, while writing, while doing just about anything. If you need a comforting track to chill out or even have a good cry to, give “scarlet” a try. & their discography is full of similar gems, maybe pour a drink, make an afternoon of it.
“Rhythm and Rapture” SeeYouSpaceCowboy
I found SeeYouSpaceCowboy through their collab on nothing.nowhere’s new album & started listening through their discography when it was announced that they were part of the emo rapper’s fall tour (he also happens to be featured on this track). SeeYouSpaceCowboy falls on the edges of the genres I listen to. While I’m not a huge -core fan, over the last year or so I’ve started to dip more into metalcore. The only other metalcore band I’ve listened to in a minute is probably Wage War, & there are definitely parallels in the song structure & the anthemic, heavily harmonized clean choruses that send hooks into the listener’s brain with the perverse efficiency of a sonic cenobite. But SeeYouSpaceCowboy’s vibe is more chaotic, the instrumental elements call back to the rough early ‘00s MySpace sound & the unclean vocals are more jarring, raw, closer to something like Tades Sanville from Hot Mulligan expertly distorted to blend with the crashing relent of the music. & I hesitate in comparing them to an emo singer since they have vocally been against being called a “screamo” band but genre matters very little to me & Sanville is easily one of the most impressive live singers I’ve had the privilege of watching. That said, I’m looking forward to seeing them with nothing.nowhere next month. This song, along with their last single, “Chewing the Scenery,” are undeniably catchy, throwing back to another time while presenting something more complex, updated, contemporary. I’m definitely a fan.
“Baseball Boy” Trust Fund Ozu
Faye Fadem describes her project, Trust Fund Ozu, as a universe she created & she’s not playing (at least in that case). Fadem is a multi-talented musician & visual artist with an ability to shift in & out of medium & genre to weave an engaging story that ranges anywhere from playful to deeply poignant & personal. Her latest single, “BASEBALL BOY” is a slick electronic pop track with a catchy, funky rhythm & honey-sweet vocals. She is an accomplished drummer & her outstanding sense of rhythm & transition & the empty space between the beats gives her music an interesting complexity that is rare to find in the pop/dance genre. There is a bright, glitchy feel to the song that is immediately engaging, reminiscent of your favorite anime or game themes. If you’re looking for something new & strangely beautiful, give “Baseball Boy” a listen. & if you’re into it, you can pre-order her upcoming album “FAYE DOUBT” on bandcamp — the full album is out Sept. 15.
“Jaded” Spiritbox
Spiritbox’s sound is interesting because Courtney LaPlante is easily the best metal vocalist of the millennial generation & her voice has a Janus effect — an uncanny ability to be incredibly unhinged one second & very polished & shiny the next — leaving you with a feeling of liminal unease, unsure where you’re going next. & the polished effect carries over into the production of the music, & the songs’ overall composition in contrast to the choppy, guitar-driven metal sensibility that drives the rhythm of the song, the beating heart underneath. So, at first listen the song is almost jarring in how smooth it goes down — all of it’s roughness filed down, buried in layers of haunting, ethereal vocals & meticulously filtered guitar & drums. One of the most interesting sounds in the whole song is a shiny, tinkling tone the guitar slips into in the intro & a couple other places in the song that almost reads mid-western Emo. The bass drives the quiet parts of the verses, but gets lost in the atmosphere of the chorus. There’s a sense of alternating expansion & shrink to the dynamic of the song that pulls you along with it, blowing doors open before gently pulling them closed again. The post-Eternal Blue singles definitely have a different feel to them, & I’ve not been hooked immediately the way I was the first time I listened to “Circle with Me” but the magic is still there — it’s simmering, broken-down, more complex. It’s a song I had to listen to a few times to really appreciate. Give it a few listens, it will definitely grow on you.
Verses on Verses is a weekly music column from the perspective of a poet. Inquiries can be directed to LE Francis, lefrancis@sagecigarettes.com.
LE Francis (she/her) is the managing editor of Sage Cigarettes Magazine; a columnist & staff artist for Cream Scene Carnival Magazine; co-host & staff editor of A Ghost in the Magazine & The Annegirls Podcast; & the author of THIS SPELL OF SONG & STAR available through Bottlecap Press. She is a writer, musician, & visual artist living in the rainshadow of the Washington Cascades. Find her online at nocturnical.com.
