Sonic Baptism with Spirit Lust and Friends 03/12/20

Welcome to Sonic Baptism with Spirit Lust and friends. Dim Things graciously gave me a platform to share my favorite recent releases and shows of the week. For a playlist of all the songs, and artist mentioned in the weeks article follow here(also includes our friends and releases). Without further interruption Sonic Baptism, this week with Jacob Saxton, .

Portland, Oregon art-punk L I T H I C S are back with their new LP Tower of Age. Lead single “Hands” is full of minimalist groves and angular guitar riffs. Rhythmically “Hands” swirls around in a whirlpool motion, in constant motion with parts full of noisy harsh guitar in contrast to moments of a solid bass line and vocals that seem to be both commanding and informative all at once. “Hands” is a strong statement in songwriting, showing that artists can write powerful music while maintaining a minimalist sound and aesthetic. Upon listening, “Hands” moves through you body like blood flow, twisting and turning through each angle and joint before winding right back in your ear canal. Tower of Age is out 6/5 via Trouble In Mind. – Spirit Lust

Hank Wood and the Hammerheads just released a new EP titled Use Me and as you would expect, it absolutely rips. In pure Hank Wood style, it has that blues, funk/punk energy that no one else can even come close to. I don’t know how they pack all the life into studio recordings, but they do (maybe it’s Artifact Audio? – I don’t know). I’m sitting at my desk at work with my headphones on pounding my fists along to “Tomorrow” – my coworker tells me to stop and I can’t help it, I won’t stop until the songs over. And you know I’m gonna listen to it again when it’s done. “Tomorrow, tomorrow, tomorrow, UH tomorrow, I’ll do it tomorrow.” The vocals (as with EVERY Hank Wood song) just take me over. It’s got that James Brown umph to it but when backed up with a that blues/punk guitar it is just addicting. Then add in the organ on top and I’m just wishing it will never end. Head to their Bandcamp, listen to it over and over, and then head over to Toxic State’s store and pick up the 7” for yourself. – Jacob Saxton

Bad History Month recently announced their new LP Old Blues. Their first release since 2017. If you aren’t familiar with Bad History Month, it is the songwriting moniker of Bostons Sean Sprecher. Sprecher writes music that is chock full of beautiful arrangements and solemn and sincere lyrical content. “Waste Not” is a testament to Sprechers ability to write elegantly sparse compositions that dive into personal existentialism. Clocking in a little over 13 minutes, “Waste Not” explores levels of self analyzation, tragedy and songwriting that puts Sprecher in the same realm as Elverum, and Kozolek. With a strong back catalog that’ll keep you entertained until the Old Blues is released, “Waste Not” shows similarities to Sprechers previous work. But while it has moments of similarities to previous work, it shows that Sprecher spent the past three years strengthening and refining his talent for writing such absolutely beautiful pieces of work. Old Blues is out 4/24 via Exploding In Sound (highly suggest purchasing the bundle). – Spirit Lust

Cup starts things off on the dark side with their first single off their upcoming album Nothing Could be Wrong. “Night Life” begins with a tom heavy drum beat that quickly gets joined by a strutting bass line. Reverb drenched guitar follow up next for the flawless psychedelic, garage-punk sound that I simply love Cup for. I want to listen to that guitar all day. This single leaves you very excited for what’s to come on the rest of the album. It possesses a super dark surfy energy – it feels like a trippy dream where you’re lost on some abandoned boardwalk with something slowly creeping behind you in the shadows. And to bring that nightmare to life, Cup released a video for this track, and it perfectly encapsulates the feeling of this song. Cup’s upcoming album Nothing Could be Wrong is our May 8, on Aagoo Records. – Jacob Saxton

Rachel Brown creates stirring and eclectic bedroom pop under the name thanks for coming(as well as Water From Your Eyes). They are often prolific in their songwriting and have racked up countless amounts of releases under both monikers. Adding Up was released earlier this year and is 13 demos that will satisfy your need for lo-fi bummer pop. On “how come” acoustic guitar sets the tone for the songs poetic nature. With a beautiful and simple arrangement the songs spoken word vocals fit perfectly, only to be broken up by a haunting humming. “How Come” has feeling of warped tension, that makes the listener feel both “lovely and apocalyptic”. Adding Up is out now viaThanks for Coming bandcamp. – Spirit Lust

Hey, do you know where this band is from? No, but their van had plates from Cali-fucking-fornia. – so you know, you should probably throw like $3-$5 to the donation jar.

Brooklyn’s dankest band, Top Nachos just released their new single Donate to the Bands, And it’s a track you should pay attention to for both the subject matter and the music – cause it shreds. Donate to the Bands is an anthem to touring DIY bands (and fans) everywhere. And I can’t think of a better band to spread this message than Top Nachos – who I assume live in a van based on all the touring they do. The track has an extremely infectious ability to make your head rock. Despite being a two-piece, Top Nachos always manages to stuff so much sound into your ears. The drums are punchy and all over the place while still keeping ur skull bobbing in time like a metronome. The guitar bounces between palm-muted verses to that absolutely huge main riff while the vocals permanently engrave themselves in your brain. You’ll be singing about all the different places “this fucking van drove ” for weeks to come. It should also be noted that Top Nachos released an amazing video for this track that should not go unwatched. Listen to Donate to the Bands on all platforms, and make sure to watch out for these two on their current tour – throw them $3-5 so they can smoke some marijuana. – Jacob Saxton