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12 song, 30 minute LP. A mix of melody and dissonance.
Our take: Follow-up LP from this California band. A little more melodic than the typical stuff that Sorry State carries, Spokenest aren't afraid of a big, bold melody, but at the same time they're very far from polished, relying on a ragged DIY aesthetic that keeps them firmly in the punk camp. I'm not familiar enough with this genre to throw a bunch of band comparisons at you, but the key word that comes to mind when I listen to Spokenest is "scrappy." "Scrappy" in the same way that the Minutemen were scrappy. I guess by that I mean that the playing is a little loose and the song structures are kind of jagged, but the heart really shines through. If words like "earnest" and "melodic" are apt to scare you away you'll probably want to avoid this, but it's nice to see bands like Spokenest and Street Eaters take the basic formula of scrappy, poppy punk of the early Lookout! Records variety and pushing it to grow up a bit.