Running, the Chicago band whose excellent Vaguely Ethnic was previously reviewed here on thegrindinghalt.com, return with a new 3-track single (is that an EP?) – “Frizzled” – due July 22 on the Drag City (Ty Segall) label imprint, God? Records.
“Totally Fired” is track 3 – stream it above and hear samples of this and the lead track at http://www.dragcity.com/products/frizzled. An intrusive squall of feedback stumbles into a roiling hornets’ nest of guitars, vocals, drums and bass clamoring to be heard from beneath a gauzy cocoon of distortion. The song lurches fore and aft until being rather rudely interrupted around the 2:40 by a sound resembling either a fax machine or modem dial (perhaps I’m dating myself with these references?). The remainder of the track is a push/pull battle between this noise and the main tune – who wins is in the ear of the beholder.
The early Nirvana influences from Vaguely are still present, mixed with some Ginn-like guitar work and sounds that wouldn’t have been out of place on records by more outré 80s hardcore bands like Flipper or Government Issue. A welcome, noisy return.
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