Data Control: It Was Nothing 12"

Latest LP from this Husker Du-influenced melodic hardcore / punk band from Sweden.

Our take: Second album from this Swedish group that has been kicking around their country since 2013. Longtime Sorry State followers might remember Thurneman, with whom Data Control share members, but that record is nearly ten years old now, so that reference doesn't mean anything to most of you. Anyway, Data Control take their name from a Husker Du song, and like the ‘Du, they started out as a hardcore band and have morphed into something more melodic, but with a similar darkness and energy about it. While there might be pop songs at the center of some of these tracks, beats get shifted askew and bass lines travel away from the main melody, pulling your ear in multiple directions at once. The first time I listened to it I felt a little confused, but each subsequent time I’ve grown more intrigued. That’s great music, right? It challenges you, pulling you in slowly and gradually revealing itself. Like the Porno Glows record I also wrote about in this update, it’s not clear to me exactly who Data Control’s audience is, but if you’re a person who loves the bands that fall in the cracks between scenes, I recommend checking out It Was Nothing.