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Hello Fellow Sorry Staters! Here we are after a brief break while some of the Sorry State crew were on tour. We are in the middle of summer here in North Carolina and boy is it HOT. I think this coming weekend we are supposed to have record-breaking high temperatures in the 100s. Phew! I mentioned in my previous pick a week or so ago that I was very excited about what Convulse records was doing. They are definitely on the forefront of releasing some really good music this past year. Which brings me to one release I am super excited about, Pardoner’s Paranoid in Hell 7”.
This album is all over the place in the best way possible. The tempo and style changes from track to track or hell even from verse to chorus. It’s what makes this record so damn fun and interesting to listen to. This record was recorded in one session in one day. I would not have guessed it on my first few listens. They have done a great job on the production of this record from beginning to end. Paranoid in Hell also has great art from Trey Flanigan (guitar/vocals), who also did some art for Gel and Gatecreeper. A couple of my favorite tracks that really jumped out to me are Distant Star and Instrument of Peace. Both tracks have this almost trickery behind them. They start as one style/tempo but end in something that you were not expecting, from fast and fuzzy punk to poppy super catchy chorus with great memorable lyrics to go with it. On your second listen to this record you would have already memorized the lyrics and the catchy choruses that go along with them.
This band is a fresh face in the alt rock scene that seems to have most bands just fade away. You can hear the influences on this record, from the Dils and Pavement to newer bands like Bugg and Big Bite. I cannot recommend this record enough, easily becoming one of my favorite EPs so far this year.