by Dan Goldin (@post_trash_)
The new Ripped Genes album feels like ten tons of bricks situated directly on your chest. If you’re looking for a quick smile or a sense of relief, keep it moving, this one is for bleak and shattered. The once solo project of Jon Hadusek is now a trio with Jim Atchley of LEADRS/Local Band (drums) and Ben Severns (bass) joining the fold, adding weight to an already immovable force of personal despair. The band will release Leaves on February 15th via Tell ‘Em Tapes, a collect of sunken sentiment and somber reflections bolstered by a rhythm section that slowly slinks toward the void… with an emphasis on slowly. The band moves at the speed of depression, lingering around in no particular rush or motivation. It’s the right pacing for the deliberate heartbreak and introspection of the album’s first single, “Afraid”.
Hadusek’s acoustic intro sits still in thick empty space, picking molasses dripped arpeggios as he sings, “I’ve been down before, but never quite like this. What I’ve been searching for, I thought that you were it.” The opening lines collide with the intensity of a train-wreck, hitting you head on and leaving you forever reeling. While it may be cast entirely in shades of gray, there’s an undeniable beauty to the song, an outlet that if nothing else reminds us that we’re not alone in these types of thoughts. “Afraid” is probably the bedroom folk equivalent to doom metal, there’s gloom and persistent emotional destruction as far as the eye can see, but the concerns are gentle and weary.