“I can’t sleep, I can’t think.”
As the years move on, finding a band or even an album that scratches that deep itch of discovery you felt when first embracing a genre can be an ever increasing challenge. Far distant examples could be the likes of Darke Complex and HEALTH, opening up the mind to a world of industrial electronics and metalcore. HEREISAROPEGOODLUCK and Wax Vessel‘s latest initiates might just be the latest grand discovery. Comprised of Michael Carroll from Destroyer Destroyer and Brian Cole from Plagues, they more than impress on their debut record, Nothing to Write Home About.
There is a sheer hellishness and thrill to the record as openers “We’ve Howdied But Haven’t Shook” and “Starting A Fight In An Empty House” roll in. Even early on it is some of the most frantic and maddest material that this year has seen. It’s all uzi-akimbo blast-beats with riffs that will rip your ears off, as the band bends and grooves with sheer tenacity. Extended cut “Down With The Snakes” shows the dissonant HEREISAROPEGOODLUCK-style with its guitars, while Cole shows some absolute lungs and range with their maddening vocals. It’s also where the record takes a brief reprieve at the end to strum away, which the record does a handful of times with little chords and synths to break Nothing to Write Home About up.
This isn’t to say the record lets up, as Cole breaks out into near-death metal vocals on “A Dead Snake Can Still Bite” and everything around it has a tinnitus inducing intent, in a good way. “Finding A Whisper In The Whirlwind” sees their craftsmanship shines through, the brief lulls before breaking out into primal chaos. Piercing screams and deep roars inject a visceral urgency to Nothing to Write Home About; it’s a record that isn’t for the weak willed, but is satisfying for those up for it.
As it ends its latter half, “Pigs Get Fat, Hogs Get Slaughtered“, while also a fantastic title, delivers some outstanding guitar work. As the wailing guitar bends and clashing notes come together with its dissonant chords, it makes for a treat on the ear. It’s here and on “Not Worth Spit” that Nothing to Write Home About cranks up the insanity even further, balancing itself between drawn back contemplativeness and escalating its fearsome moments.
A nod should be given to the job Digital Ghost have done. The stylistic manner of the mix and production means that each element has life and character, even with all the chaos. There is a sense that HEREISAROPEGOODLUCK might be the perfect yang to PSYCHO-FRAME’s yin. Both offering a crushing sound, yet have enough nuance and variation between the two genres to feel unique to one another.
For those familiar to grindcore or those new to genre, HEREISAROPEGOODLUCK is a listen that won’t soon be forgotten, and are one of the best discoveries of 2024. Cole, for my money, offers up one of the best vocal performances we’ve seen this year, elevating Nothing to Write Home About to a different level, while each riff and blast beat creates a pressurised and aggressive soundscape unlike much else recently, all amplified by flawless production.
9/10
Nothing to Write Home About will be released via Wax Vessel and can be pre-ordered here.