Flesh World, The Wild Animals In My Life (Iron Lung, 6/2/15)
Debut long player from San Francisco-based Flesh World, a fave of thegrindinghalt.com (check out our review of their mini-lp here).
In the proud tradition of bands like TSOL, Lords of the New Church, 45 Grave, The Damned, Siouxsie and the Banshees, The Flatmates, Savages – bands grafting elements of other music onto a musculature of punk – on The Wild Animals…, Flesh World continue to push and prod at the edges of their sound: goth, rough C86-styled indie pop and shoegaze shiver and shake together over rumbling punk and hardcore undercurrents.
The title track adds a glaze of shoegaze swirl atop Scott Moore’s jangly guitar line. “Just To Tear Me Down” starts like a ramshackle take on “Under the Milky Way”, then morphs into a buzz saw goth/punk rocker, vocalist Jess Scott channeling Morrissey as she sings to someone who wants to “tear me up just to tear me down”. “Strawberry Bomber” sounds like Dance With Me-era TSOL fronted by Mikyi from Lush. Personal fave “Poolside Boys” recalls the JAMC covering “Everyday Is Like Sunday”.
Comparisons only go so far though – these songs live and breathe as a result of the band’s great sense of melody, pacing and energy. Earworms abound here for the digging. Dig in.
Gloomy and glorious. Check the stream above and support the band here. Also, be sure to go seek out the band at one of their upcoming shows (sadly, the halt exists in lands outside the current itinerary – *sniff*).
7/30 New York Baby’s All Right
7/31 Philadelphia Philamoca
8/1 New York Williamsburg Music Hall
8/2 Baltimore Windup Space
8/3 Richmond Strange Matter
8/4 Washington, D.C. Black Cat
Highlights include: “Poolside Boys”, “Strawberry Bomber”, “Shaved Head”, “Your Love Is Like a House”.
