by Dan Goldin (@post_trash_)
Chicago’s Great Deceivers have released a string of great EPs over the past five years, highlighted by 2017’s Some (out on Sooper Records), sharpening their tight and tangled progressions. Its been nearly eight years since the post-hardcore stalwarts last went the way of the long-player, but their upcoming full length In Spirit is due out January 19th and was well worth the wait. The long-running band (whose members also play in C.H.E.W., Options, etc.) have a dynamic sound that feels compact and dense, carefully constructed and ready to burst upon exposure. There’s a painstaking quality to the way each song is built, the guitars weaving between rhythmic heft that’s somewhere between crushing and dreamy (often in both territories at once).
Lead single “Checked Out Forever” comes crashing forward with a big blistering discordant riff and a thick as bricks bass line to match, barreling into the off-centered verses. Max Green (vocals/guitar) leads the way with a wobbly vocal melody, one that sets a sweetened tonality to the shifting rhythms and caterwauling guitars. The band swerves and fractures like a mountain mid avalanche, keeping the listen on their toes while fully engaged with glistening harmonies. The song rarely looks back, each section winding its way to the next and swinging forever toward the fences. It’s knotted and technical with a feeling that’s all natural.
Great Deceivers’ In Spirit is out January 19th. The band will celebrate the release in Chicago at The Empty Bottle with Floatie, Spirits Having Fun, and Grandkids.