Fans of prog and math rock have been eating like royalty this year. We’ve had high-profile crushers from Paranoid Void and Hikes, we’ve got weirdo indie anthems from Perfect and Lahnah, we’ve seen the return of bands like Chevreuil and Dazzling Killmen… when you think about it, in conjunction with all the latest indie darlings, the fringe is positively glowing right now.
Whether it’s due to creep of circumstance or emergence of talent, we know that we’re thankful, but we also can’t help but look ahead and think “damn… that’s a lot.” Good thing we love music, and our latest reminder of such comes in the form of Voided Shape.
The Boston outfit curates a distinct mix of emo, ambient, and post-hardcore, but underneath all that seems to be a driving force that’s ceaselessly creative. The above genres and function more as settings or location as the central story of the record takes place, and this actually works on multiple levels considering SINEW is more or less a conceptual EP.
SINEW is part 1 of a concept album that takes place in a post-apocalyptic digital future.
A rogue AI has consumed almost all of humanity, controlling their minds and bodies as an amalgamation — a singularity — everything yet nothing: the Void.
Each song encapsulates moments in time from different perspectives: stories from individuals experiencing loss and chaos, and those coming to grips with themselves within the collective Void.
BECOME SOMETHING NEW.
The band’s label STT has displayed impeccable taste up to this point in choosing bands for their roster, and Voided Shape fits the bill perfectly. They’re diverse but focused, pulling in ideas from surrounding sounds to tell their story without sacrificing an ounce of soul, and after a single listen to SINEW, you know they’ve got more than enough to go around.
Funny enough, while we don’t mean it as an actual comparison, bands that kept coming to mind thanks to the excellent vocal work of Braden McKallagat were OG’s like Thursday, gLASSJAW, and at times even Deftones. Hitting that stride between confidence, attitude and cathartic, meaningful release is genuinely elusive to most vocalists, even the great ones – seeing it so early in a band’s career is beyond promising, and we’ll be eagerly awaiting whatever’s next.
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