By: Nerhys Hall
https://www.facebook.com/languagemusicnyc
If you’re looking for some new and interesting post-punk, you need to check out Brooklyn trio Language and their new EP, Plymouth. A blend of classic post-punk sounds and keen experimentalism, Language knows how to keep their music interesting.
Of the five songs, four are blisteringly quick and aggressive. The third song, “Plymouth”, gives the listener a break from the rush of adrenaline that accompanies the other tracks. That doesn’t make it boring, though. “Plymouth” begins with a spooky, siren-like introduction and gradually, new layers of sound are added over top. The intro lasts over a minute and is very synth-heavy and distorted. A sudden disappearance of distortion and addition of simple, clean instrumentation adds new interest. The distortion soon comes back, however, and the track builds into chaotic experimentation and adds vocals underneath the instruments.
The four quick-paced and aggressive songs have a similar energy, but all sound distinct. The EP opener, “Where To”, is an entirely instrumental, bass-driven track featuring cool guitar sounds, aggressive drums, complex rhythms, and feedback. This goes into the second song, “Game Piece”. Just as quick and energetic as track one, song two has an even bigger-sounding intro than song one that then has all the instruments except the bass cut out. The layers eventually build back up and rough, aggressive post-punk vocals are added in. This song has an almost hardcore-like sound to it. A thick layer of distortion tops the song off.
Directly following the slower “Plymouth”, song four, “Into and out Of” begins with a quick succession of jarringly dissonant chords and simple drums before building up the instrumental layers. This track also features a huge amount of syncopated rhythms, something that makes my inner, classically-trained music nerd very happy. The final track starts off sounding like a second more laid back song. The short intro has a slow, hard rock feeling to it, but that doesn’t last long as the song changes pace and turns into a quick post-punk track with distorted vocals layered under the guitar. The song remains aggressive right until the end, finishing the EP on a high note.
Language’s Plymouth EP is not something that post-punk fans want to miss.