“Saved myself from the doubt, don’t need no one else.”
Running out of Chicago come unit Demo Division, originally making their debut in 2022 on EP, Wish You Were Here. They displayed their sound of alt-rock-come-post-hardcore that the likes of Basement and Fiddlehead had made renowned during the past decade. Now with latest effort SUNKEN SKIN, Demo Division look to further cement themselves in the genre, even if this outing does feel a little too brief.
Opener “CONTROL” is packed with the hazy and warm riffs that you’d expect from Demo Division. There’s some neat hook work from the outset, most notably with lyric “meet in the middle, we’ll find out end / let’s make it simple, we’ll play pretend“. There is a satisfying compactness to their sound that is present from the outset, too; each individual part of the sound adds to the cohesion. “FIGURE IT OUT” continues in a similar fashion, as the track states “Going places, you won’t go / I’m not changing, why are you?“
The second half of the EP sees Demo Division take a heavier note with “WASTING ALL MY TIME“. Each snare pop has a slight extra force to it, and the guitar chords have extra pace to them. It prevents the dream-like state of the opening two tracks enveloping SUNKEN SKIN and gives a much needed bite to the record. There is a blend of sorts between the two styles presented on closer “WANTED2TRY”, with a sombre nature that comes from its reflectiveness, yet sadness at hand on the track: “Now you feel me, I’m full of hate, don’t be like me“.
While it seems slightly unfair to criticise a record on its runtime, given how solid the four tracks presented are, it’s difficult not to feel like there could have been more here. While it does end on a fitting note for a closer, it still does feel like an immediate cutting off of the air. There was a missed opportunity to create a more coheorent package, beyond the EP just being four solid songs. That aside, if Demo Division expand on this, and hopefully sooner rather than later, there should be a certain level of success that others in the genre have reached, given the quality present on SUNKEN SKIN.
7/10
SUNKEN SKIN is out May 3rd via New Morality Zine, and can be pre-ordered here.