by Dan Goldin (@post_trash_)
I was first introduced to Los Angeles noise rock polymaths Qui over a decade ago when the duo released Love's Miracle, a full length album collaboration with The Jesus Lizard's David Yow. It was of course a brilliant record the embraced the marble-mouthed rants of Yow and pushed him into Qui's world, one that's unpredictable and often shrouded in a never ending cavalcade of tonal shifts. From there, the band have continued to expand their sound into ever weirder territory and on August 3rd they will release their latest, Snuh, via their new label home at Three One G Records (Doomsday Student, Hot Nerds, Retox). Recorded by Toshi Kasai, it's another sonic freakout that storms between avant jazz, classic rock, post-hardcore, and noise rock inclinations, wandering their own deviant path into oblivion.
The band have already shared "Escape From Now" but they are keeping their collaborative spirit alive with "Mowing Machine," a blistering noise punk odyssey featuring Justin Pearson (The Locust, Retox, Head Wound City) on lead vocals. With an introduction as immediate as stepping off a cliff, the song explodes on impact, Pearson's vocals hollering over a sputtering punch from Qui's maniacs in charge, Matt Cronk (guitar/vocals) and Paul Christensen (drums/vocals/keys). The rhythm is about as choppy as a sailboat in a hurricane, constantly jerking with quick jabs and violent waves. The song pulls between an abrasive calm and utter eruptions, contorting time signatures and peeling the intensity between "all out" and "disorienting". It's Qui at their best, a wild fucking ride that you'll want to take over and over again.
Qui's Snuh is out August 3rd via Three One G Records.