It’s 7:20am and I’m pissed at my boss. The thought of opening my laptop is haunting my morning. What is worse than Outlook? Tungsten Beach’s new EP is on, and it goes well with my mood. In a way it helps me escape, but it is discordant and chaotic enough to mirror my anxiety. Experimental noise and grooves perpetuate through these songs. Initially the distinctive vocal approach reminded me a bit of Richard Hell, then in points I hear a Robert Smith feel, especially in parts where his exasperation is prominent. Wait, is this “Sister Morphine”? Shit, it isn’t easy to cover such a classic and do so with originality and also capture the necessary feel and vibe of the original, but Tungsten Beach have succeeded here. This is an enjoyable listen and may have saved my morning (time will tell I suppose). Their bandcamp page describes the band as “Psychedelic Doom”, which I can see, but as with most genre titles, it doesn’t paint the whole picture of the artist. At times when listening TB sound like one of those Dischord bands you never heard of but bought just because they were on Dischord and the cover was cool. Then you’re like “how the fuck have I never heard of Lungfish?”
The 3rd track “Ditch Digger” admittedly I can do without, as it is a spooky sounding reverb-soaked noise track which may have worked better as an outro on a full length, but on a 4 song EP I prefer to hear 4 actual songs. The last track “Kriegraffe” continues with their experimental, borderline goth, heavy experimentation and is well executed. It drones more than the first track, which is a nice distinction and shows the varying capabilities and dynamics of the band. Overall, this was a nice EP that leaves me curious about what this band will do in the future. Give it a whirl -
- Joe Pugsley