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New Album Review

Mordrake by Xenobiotic

Album Review: Mordrake – Xenobiotic

Favorite Songs: Saphris, Fractured, Light That Burns the Sky

Xenobiotic is a hidden gem I randomly found scrolling through someone’s Instagram page. When I listened to their song Saphris, I was instantly hooked. It honestly shocked me to see that their monthly listener rate was moderately low on Spotify, given their unique sound and incredible talent. Unfortunately, it was difficult finding information on them, so it took some digging. The band originates from Australia, which is a hardcore country in itself (have you seen pictures of their spiders?), and consists of Nish Raghavan and Cam Moore on guitars, David Finaly on bass, TJ Sinclair for vocals, and Mikey Godwin on drums. This team perfectly combines sounds of black metal and technical death metal with a refreshing, progressive approach to lyricism. Their name itself, Xenobiotic, refers to something relating to a substance, typically a synthetic chemical, that is foreign to the body. Their artwork immediately caught my eye, and while you can’t judge a book by its cover, their album Mordrake is as complex, chaotic, and beautiful as the artwork suggests. The humanoid figure appears to be mummified or strewn in some form of web and is cutting or ripping open its chest to reveal a moon, mountains, and dark figures. In my opinion, this is just as brutal as any song on the album and suggests something dark and profound.

 Mordrake opens with Insomnia, an eerie, atmospheric sound that quickly descends into heavy, melodic riffs, carefully placed drums, and deep gutturals and bone-chilling shrieks. The album proceeds to get heavier with each song, inducing a whirlwind of emotion and aggression without becoming too overwhelming. Light That Burns the Sky showcases TJ’s range and power, as well as their meaningful lyricism. It seems to highlight the process of cognitive dissonance and the confusion and desperation that often follows. My favorite song, Saphris, has a beautiful, atmospheric introduction – the calm before the storm. It explodes into an intense, overwhelming breakdown that grows into a violent expression of heartache, unfurling into disarray. Needless to say, this is one of the most beautiful, powerful metal songs I have ever listened to. There are not enough words I can find to describe the emotion expressed in this song. Saphris, a nickname for the medication Asenapine that is used to treat mood disorders such as schizophrenia, perfectly induces the feeling of internal chaos, uncertainty, and hope that is felt in mental illness. Mental illness seems to be a common theme and they perfectly capture the numerous intricate facets it presents. Their music calls for reflection of oneself and the nature of the human psyche and emotion. I truly hope Xenobiotic get the recognition they deserve one day, and I am so excited to have found a band I can continuously fall back on when I need the release. Give them a listen and strap yourself in for a brutal, emotional experience!

–  Sarah

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Weekly Charts

Afterhours Chart 4/7

Artist Record Label
1 HURLEE Beating For You [EP] Apparel
2 LONE Not Seeing Is A Flower [EP] Ancient Astronauts
3 HOT CHIP A Bath Full Of Ecstasy Domino
4 DEATON CHRIS ANTHONY BO Y Self-Released
5 SASSY 009 KILL SASSY 009 Luft
6 GRACE IVES 2nd Dots Per Inch
7 BRIJEAN Walkie Talkie Native Cat
8 FINN, INDIA JORDAN H.U.R.L/F.U.R.L [EP] Local Action
9 CARIBOU Suddenly Merge
10 COWGIRL CLUE Icebreaker Vada Vada

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Podcasts

Let’s Talk Music: The History of Twenty One Pilots Ft. Darius Payne


Get Psyched intro music was created by PME, used by permission. Find PME on Spotify. 

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Podcasts

Geologist Paige Cary

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Podcasts

Game designer Justin Johnson

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New Album Review

New Music Review: Donna Blue

EP REVIEW: Donna Blue – Inbetween EP

BEST TRACKS: Desert Lake, Inbetween, Billy

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Danique van Kesteren and Bart van Dalen are a dutch couple that make up Donna Blue. So far, the band has only released singles and one EP, but even having just tasted a little bit of the music they are capable of producing, I can tell that Donna Blue is onto something and that we can expect a lot more in the coming days. The duo has latched onto a dying genre but they honor it exceptionally well. Listening to this EP, you will be transported to another time and world. You’ll go back to a hot, windy summer night in the desert, with tumbleweeds blowing and rattlesnakes shaking.

The Inbetween EP is best described as dark and sultry desert rock. Desert rock is one of my favorite genres but new albums in this genre are hard to find, as they are few and far between. Sometimes you just have to be lucky enough to stumble upon one, like how I was with this EP, and how you are as a result of reading this review. Desert rock is a smoother, slower, more lonesome-sounding version of Spaghetti Western soundtracks like The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly. This EP is trance-like and bordering psychedelic.

The first track, Desert Lake, opens with the trill of a guitar and a signature rattlesnake shake. When Kesteren’s somber voice comes in, saying “Something in the wind today reminds me of the night you ran away,” I feel elevated to a different realm. Then a whistle comes in, and I feel like I’m being witness to a Clint Eastwood showdown. The third track, Inbetween, is a dark and mysterious sleeping spell. Just when it almost lulls you softly into a trance, the song flourishes up like a bonfire from the ashes, and jolts you back awake.

Recommended If you like The Handsome Family, or Gene Clark.

-Safia 

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Podcasts

The Local Beat: Art Critic

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Band/Artist Profile

Band Highlight: While She Sleeps

While She Sleeps is one of the most underrated metalcore bands out there right now. Their carefully crafted melodies, pop hooks, and aggressive breakdowns give them a refreshing sound that perfectly combines styles from bands like Architects and Northlane. I saw these guys in February of this year and went into it without many expectations, and it turned out to be the best concert I had EVER been to. They entered the stage and immediately unleashed their aggression, excitement, and passion unlike anything I had ever seen with their new song FAKERS PLAGUE. The audience absorbed that energy and threw it right back, not hesitating to open the pit and sing along. People were hugging one another, sitting on shoulders, headbanging, screaming together, and becoming totally lost in the music. All of which is normal for a metalcore show, but the positive energy that flowed within the audience and between the audience and stage was undeniable. Each member of the band was smiling and laughing in the midst of the chaos the entire set. I followed the progression of their tour on social media and their shows just seemed to get more and more wild until the singer was hanging upside down from the rafters and the guitarist crowd surfed during his solos. 

While She Sleeps formed in Sheffield, England in 2006 and includes vocalist Lawrence “Loz” Taylor, guitarists Sean Long and Mat Welsh, bassist Aaran McKenzie, and drummer Adam Savage. Loz Taylor came into the band as the lead vocalist for their third EP that was recorded in a home studio. The band grew in popularity as they toured extensively across the UK and Europe and eventually won the Kerrang! Awards 2012. When asked the origin of their band name, Taylor explained it was inspired by a story of a woman murdering her husband while he slept and changed it to “she” instead of “he”. Taylor also indicated that “she” can be used as a reference to a sunken ship or vehicle, as they are often referred to with a feminine pronoun. While She Sleeps has shared the stage with bands like Bring Me the Horizon, Bleed from Within, Betraying the Martyrs, Asking Alexandria, Motionless in White, and Thy Art Is Murder. They’ve gone back to their punk-rock, DIY roots and started their own label called Sleep Brothers in order to regain total control over their process. Their newest album So What? is proof that these guys know exactly how to bring their music to the next level. I highly recommend checking them out and seeing them live if you get the chance. This band is explosive.

-Sarah 

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New Album Review

Cavetown Sleepyhead Album Review

 

As a longtime fan of Cavetown I was incredibly excited to give this new record, Sleepyhead, a spin, especially because I have already fallen in love with the first two singles that were released late last year and earlier this year. I also nearly LOST it when I saw that chloe moriondo and Drew Monson were featured in the record. 

The first time I listened to this album I threw it on shuffle and had it on in the background while working, and when I heard ‘Wishing Well’ Ft. Drew Monson I loved it, but was kind of confused since it didn’t really sound like Cavetown. It was a pleasant surprise seeing as to why. This track is the beautiful blend I would expect in a collab between these two artists. It’s distorted vocals display Drew’s heavy input in the track and make it one I continue coming back to. The same can be said with the track ‘Snail’ Ft. Chloe Moriondo, it’s smooth Cavetown vibe with Chloe’s energy makes this track a perfect piece for the last portion of the record. Their vocals have the perfect contrast that make the track sound like a story being told back and forth, it’s almost fairytale like. The instrumentation choice also sets it apart from the rest of the works, there is a slight folk-like influence, but like much of this record it’s very string instrument centered.

While this record has an incredibly strong start, featuring the first two singles that were pre-released, the last half of this record ends it even stronger. Maybe I’m just overly emotional at songs about mum’s, but I absolutely adore the track ‘I Miss My Mum’. The lyrics in the track are incredibly strong, somehow making me deeply sad and happy at the same time, something Cavetown does best. In fact that’s sort of the theme I got from the whole record, it’s like a beautiful tragedy, seeing the beauty in things that might be painful as well.

After giving this record another few spins I have to say ‘For You’ has become one of my absolute favorite moments. The way it borrows from Sweet Tooth and emphasizes what was already one of my favorite hooks on the record really gets me hype, it’s also one of those tracks that makes the record feel like one solid unit. I can’t stop myself from singing alone every time I hear it. This new record was a heartwarming listen from start to finish. It’s authentic, raw, and stripped back. The perfect blend for its emotional impact. I give it five stars and definitely recommend it.

– DJ Psyched

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Podcasts

The Local Beat: To Julian