by Dan Goldin (@post_trash_)
Brooklyn's Sodium Beast return with their sophomore EP and a new found aggression that rips from noise rock start to fuzzy pop finish. Night Club Tonite picks up the ragged post-punk sound of Hit Parade, blending the band's "college rock" influences with harsher elements, a reflective change of the year between releases. Featuring members of Shark?, Parlor Walls, and Dinosaur Feathers, the pedigree of Sodium Beast's Brooklyn DIY roots goes back a long way, but Night Club Tonite feels like a new awakening; raw and corrosive, contents under pressure. Set for release on Friday, September 29th via Mirror Universe, the band's primal punk has evolved and we're presented a Beast of a whole different nature.
It's not so much a shift in temperament, but a change in attack. The trio trade-in playful repetition for brutal distortion and scathing riffs, evident in the manic "Stu Fernet" introduction, scrapping like The Jesus Lizard and Blacklisters, but balanced by Kevin Diamond's calming vocal presence. The song's furious guitars burn through shifting basslines and spastic hi-hats, barreling forward into Diamond's pressing question, "will I ever be happy?" While the riffs get friendlier on "Get Over Yourself" and "Do No Wrong," the disposition remains fairly bitter, a harsh cynicism clouding the caterwauling bursts of noise and the dense rhythmic onslaughts. "I'm Home Ma" closes the EP with an easy landing, a song that rings with fuzzy guitar tones that wash ashore (rather than crash down), a concentrated effort on returning to happiness, obstacles be damned. Well-rounded and sonically dynamic, Sodium Beast keep things salty.
Sodium Beast's Night Club Tonite is out Friday, September 29th. The band will celebrate the release that night at The Glove in Brooklyn with Sleepies, Chat Logs, and C'yotes.