What did we just listen to????
Again we regale you with the tale of how we listen to everything that comes across (Both in a timely AND untimely manner) ye olde digital desk. Some is good. Some is not so good. Some is so good to us that it makes its’ way to an honest to goodness RNRF post while others in that vein become our most favorite thing ever. New England’s Crippling Alcoholism falls into the latter category and we’re kind of kicking ourselves that the upcoming Camgirl, the band’s third full-length, is our first exposure to the weird, wonderful world that CA conjure on the regular.
But what’s it all sound like, right? Camgirl at least is like Viva Death at times, but also !!!, but also Glaare… And then there’s some of the Gothiest Goth that ever Goth-ed in there as well as just plain Noise Rawk and every -Wave (Dark, Electro, Goth, etc) under the sun. And simultaneously the soundtrack to every ’80’s movie featuring the Brat Pack. Fronted by Tony Castrati who somehow sounds like both Nick Cave and Leonard Cohen. Oh, and CA’s latest is also a concept album that sonically tells the tale of “Bella Pink” (The Camgirl in question) through the eyes of those who “consume” her (Lovers, stalkers, friends, business acquaintances).
Still with us? GREAT! Because it’s even better than all of what we just described!
Each track is haunting in its’ own way and akin to being in a perennial dream state with the way the sounds similarly mesmerize and hypnotize as Danny Sher (Drums), Alyce (guitar), Stefan (guitar), Peter (bass), and Jonathan (synthesizer) lay this infallible foundation that swirls about in a pool of whimsy and wonder with a hint of worry just beneath the surface.
That’s the gist of opener “Mr Sentimental” with “Saran Wrapped Cash” following for a Shoegaze masterclass while also being some of the best modern Darkwave out there today as well as taking bits and pieces of Love & Rockets, Bauhaus, and Joy Division for a Frankenstein-like fit. “LADIES NIGHT” is catchy, chaotic, and cathartic with one of a plethora of vocal lines that are sure to get stuck in your head loooooooooong after you stop listening (This and “bedrot” are killing us right now with the way some of their vocal passages get wrapped around our Gray Matter). Then there’s “Pay Pigs” which has airs of Nick Cave at both his suavest and at his most Grinderman-esque that concludes in the most nasty, sinister way possible.
“bedrot” is abrasive but lined with an ethereal aura which, similar to “LADIES NIGHT” and its’ own lush chorus, is sure to get stuck in your head much like those gnarly parasites on Ceti Alpha 5 in Star Trek II: The Wrath Of Khan (Please don’t go search out the scene, though, if you have weak sensibilities) with Castrati playing both the Jekyll and Hyde roles during a call and response chorus (“A monster/Uh Uh a monster/Baby I’m a monster” answered with a pained howl of “I fucking hate the way I look/Yeah I look like a fat fuckin’ scumbag”). “MONET” is filled with a sense of incoming dread and chaotic vocal passages intersecting like voices in your head talking all at once while “Pretty in Pink” is the perfect blend of The Cure atmosphere-building and Duran Duran circa The Wedding Album (Think along the lines of “Come Undone”).
“Pliers” begins amidst a cacophonous noise before settling in with Castrati’s baritone drawl slithering in between Alyce and Stefan’s eerie guitar lines and Sher’s echoed hits while the piano-laden “screentime” almost acts as an interlude with the percussive “I Have A Key To Your House” being something else entirely, soaked in Goth and New Wave and wrapped in a synthetic glow that Jonathan has created for something akin to Bauhaus deciding to make a modern Darkwave album and collaborating with Strvngers.
The title track is equally tantalizing and terrifying and drenched in Stranger Things-style synths (Read: ’80’s Sci-Fi/Horror scores) with a vocal sparring on lines like “I’m just a user/Craving your abuse” from Castrati and Allison Rittwager (Who also graces many a track across Camgirl), “Sweet Talk” is an usually serene comedown featuring Aki McCullough, and “TARAVISTA” continues that trend with an upbeat sounding outlook as Juliet Gordon (Who also appears on several tracks across the record) adds some gorgeous harmonies. “Mary Kate & Ashley” is oddly baroque, symphonic in its’ delivery like a haunting Waltz before the end comes in the form of “despair” which is the surprisingly vibrant Angelo Badalamenti/John Carpenter collab you never knew you needed. Only darker. Cuz Crippling Alcoholism.
Camgirl is open for business on September 12th through Portrayal Of Guilt and you can be the first in your neighbourhood to hear it when you pre-order here. For more from Crippling Alcoholism, hit the interwebs for the socials by clicking here, here, or here.