by Dan Goldin (@post_trash_)
Atlanta's Jock Gang are getting ready to release Cool, a new CD (sitting somewhere between an EP and LP) on August 25th via their own Noun Factory. For those unfamiliar with the art rock quartet, the band has toured with (and been highly praised by) fellow GA natives Deerhunter, and their sound is full of disorienting art-rock clamor. With a vibe that calls back to Velvet Underground while pushing forward into detached post-punk territory, Jock Gang have a grasp on both noise and pop, favoring the former but a glimmer of the latter goes a long way. The record is dark and experimental, a seamless blend of the band's old and new songs.
First single "Alma" is a fantastic introduction to Cool's hypnotic claustrophobia. Buried under a wash of dirgey guitar noise and ringing harmonics, the song is avant-garde chaos wrapped in a digestible structure. Scrapping distortion peels against the detuned melody's skeleton framework, with Jared Collins' near-catatonic vocals filling the empty spaces. The song comes undone before long and the nightmarish crescendo is a work of beauty (at its ugliest).
Cool is out August 25th via Noun Factory. Jock Gang will be spending much of August on the East Coast. Check out the dates below with more to come.
8/12 - Brooklyn, NY @ Secret Project Robot (Music Against Mass Incarceration) w/ Gold Dime, Chris Forsyth, Sunwatchers & more
8/17 - Philadelphia, PA @ The Sound Hole w/ Anklepants & Macula Dog
8/20 - Brooklyn, NY @ The Glove w/ Trashcan & more