And sometimes we’re in the middle of editing 5 different pieces when something new comes to our attention and we’re all “Oh! This might be a fun distraction!” and decide to add something else to the queue because we just love love music that much. No, really! So what was it that piqued our attention so? Why, the debut LP from Boston’s bad//verb of course!
One listen through the seven tracks that make up the self-titled record and we’re sure you’ll agree it’s a noisy slice of aural anarchy encompassing the underbelly of Grunge (Mudhoney definitely comes to mind) with a Punk-fueled mindset. Opener “American Flag” is barely two minutes of rousing Rawk with Jon Christopher’s commanding voice and blistering guitars leading the charge while “Run Into The Sun” is a swirling sonic storm with bassist Aarne Victorine going one way as drummer Lex Marburger goes the other for some diabolically delightful disarray before converging into a solid rhythmic force.
“Darling, I’m Fine” does a 180 and flips the script on what you may have though the trio should sound like bringing instead a laid back emotive lo-fi number with Victorine’s intricate bass adding some big grooves throughout. “Don’t Look Back” is pretty frelling epic with Christopher’s repeated refrains acting as more a declaration than a warning followed by a wall of noise before Marberger and Victorine answer the call with some gargantuan grooves and Christopher howls out verses, choruses, and more verses.
“She Said” is a flurry of sounds hurtling at each other alternately at regular speed right into ludicrous speed and then back again for one confusing headbanging exercise but still a fun time overall with “Piss Soaked Drunken Ghost” smoothly segueing in next displaying a mixture of styles with Victorine, Marburger, and Christopher all standing out on this perennially fluid body of art that’s like the breakdowns of both Pearl Jam’s “Porch” and Jane’s Addiction’s “Three Days” rolled into one.
bad//verb is out now and you can get your very own copy to stream and/or download by heading here or to the stream below. For more from bad//verb, including all the info on their record release show on March 15th at Koto Salem with Human Pit, Identical Palms and Z/28, head here or to their socials which you can find here and here.