“Could I get a rainbow sign? Something to remember you by?”
Following the release of singles “Waco Jesus” and “Pushing the Pink Envelope”, The Callous Daoboys present the final track of their forthcoming EP, God Smiles Upon The Callous Daoboys. The trio of songs continue the momentum generated by last year’s stellar Celebrity Therapist, an album which has helped establish the Daoboys as upstarts in the more chaotic realm of the heavy music world. While the Atlanta-based mathcore unit is now seven years deep into their run as a group, it does feel like they are only just now fully hitting their stride with this latest run of tracks.
Leading things off with its late August release, “Waco Jesus” was a clear and immediate step in a new direction for the Daoboys. While cleaner vocals were utilized in moments of flourish on tracks like “Title Track” and “Star Baby” on Celebrity Therapist, vocalist Carson Pace brings the more melodic approach to the forefront of “Waco Jesus”, resulting in one of the most accessible cuts in the group’s discography thus far. High-octane riffing from guitar tandem Maddie Caffrey and Daniel Hodsdon ensnares the listener from the track’s opening moments, before ushering in Jackie Buckalew’s swampy bass tones and Pace’s enticing, cleaner vocals. Effectively punctuated by its heavier moments, and with a touch of theatricality to boot, “Waco Jesus” proved to be a competent choice for the EP’s lead single, leaving the listener wondering what the Daoboys could possibly get up to next.
Follow-up “Pushing the Pink Envelope” certainly did not disappoint. Despite being the second track released from the EP, “Pushing the Pink Envelope” sits as the opener. Leading the charge in explosive fashion, the ever-shifting soundscape mixes shrieking violin passages from Amber Christman and some tasteful synth details littered throughout the track’s runtime. Another fiery performance from Pace further showcases his versatility as a vocalist. A surprising drop into an elevator/lounge music section early in the track is reminiscent of a similar moment in “Flip-Flops at a Funeral” from sophomore album Die on Mars, but where it differs in “Pink Envelope” is its glitchy/hyper-pop transition into some positively filthy lows from Pace. A clean and catchy chorus, plus some dynamic pace-keeping from drummer Matthew Hague, help tie “Pushing the Pink Envelope” together into an enthralling four-minute package that has quickly become one of my favourite tracks in the Daoboys’ discography.
Third and final track “Designer Shroud of Turin” somehow pushes the bill for chaos even further than its predecessors did. Both the longest and hardest track to digest from the EP, “Designer Shroud of Turin” sees features from progressive post-hardcore unit pulses.’ vocal duo of Caleb Taylor and Matt Burridge. Recently, Pace featured on pulses.‘ own closing track “But It Is”, from their latest album It Wasn’t Supposed to Be Like This. The duo’s vocals compliment Pace’s in a fun back-and-forth bit in the front half of the song, with the group’s vocals flitting between instrumental chugs and whirs, before the smooth, yet sudden shift into a brief salsa section. The closer is topped off with a gradual, dissonant descent that acts as a bit of a fake-out ending before exploding once again in its final minute. There is a sense of the track coming full-circle, proving itself to be an appropriate choice of closer.
9/10
God Smiles Upon The Callous Daoboys will be released this Friday October 20th via MNRK Heavy and Modern Static Records, and you can pre-order it here. Additionally, The Callous Daoboys will be supporting Protest the Hero on their North American tour through October and November, as well as TesseracT on the European/UK leg of their tour early next year. Tickets to both tours are available here.