by Dan Goldin (@post_trash_)
The recently established Chicago label Born Yesterday Records released their first record this year, the sophomore album from Western MA’s Landowner, Blatant. That record, one of our favorites of 2018 may be the imprint’s sole release to date, but that will change soon with a new offering from Chicago’s own DROOL. Set to unleash their latest album DROOL II on January 18th, the duo of Hersh D. Chabra (vocals/guitar) and Ben Leach (vocals/drums) play a tightly regimented art rock that’s part hypnotic and part corrosive. There’s no definable template to their sound, allowing the band’s minimalist approach to take new shapes as it unfolds.
“Cinnamon,” the album’s first single comes crashing with a head-rattling propulsion, the band digging into a contorted noise rock tone before pulling back for the haunting verse. The spoken lyrics are delivered in poetic phrases, “i'm something repeating, if my ash is my own / my lungs will release me, if my body cant learn,” seesawing between the uneasy riffs that storm around the garbled verses. It’s brash and sinister, a thickened feeling of sickness that coats it all.
DROOL’s DROOL II is out January 18th via Born Yesterday Records.