Anchorage-based trio [SAMPLE_TEXT] strut a compelling rock sound across their new album Lewd & Languid, fusing aspects of punk, rock, and noise with an experimental tilt — ranging from Swans and Slint to Black Midi and Nirvana. ’60s pop, garage-rock, and jazz/barbershop music are also inspiration points for the project. The album also pursues a variety of thematic topics, described as “a mix of social criticisms, self criticisms, personal issues, and an overall feeling of undefinable misery.”

“Male Man” launches into blistering guitar distortion and fervent vocal immersion, as twangy guitar frolicking takes hold past the first minute; the band’s tendency to balance melodic immediacy and gritty blasts of noisy rock is impressive throughout the album, and is on particular display with “Male Man.” “Cozy Gutter” follows with a more debonair vocal backing, as sweltering vocals rise into a raspy infectiousness amidst clanging percussion. The project’s knack for dynamic vocals, from suave introspection to raucous shouts, shows enjoyably there.

The album’s title track proves riveting in its late-night, twangy intrigue. The guitar work initially struts that sort of nocturnal composure, picking up as the peppy percussive pulse emerges. The band cite Slint and Sonic Youth among their influences, and shades of both seem apparent on this success. And then there’s the gripping “Poverty Dream,” which we featured last year and caught our ears with a buzzingly ferocious burst of guitars into the “only a poverty dream,” hook. Lewd & Languid continues the contagious, frenzied rock appeal evident there.

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“Lewd & Languid” and other tracks featured this month can be streamed on the updating Obscure Sound’s ‘Emerging Singles’ Spotify playlist.

We discovered this release via MusoSoup, as part of the artist’s promotional campaign.

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