by Dan Goldin (@post_trash_)
Two of New Jersey’s best DIY bands are joining together with New Jersey’s best DIY label to release a split EP… it all just makes so much sense. New Brunswick mainstays Spowder and Glazer have teamed up for a freaked out sonic contusion the likes of which we’re always in need of and always taken aback by. Set to release the 7” via State Champion Records (Noun, Resounding No, Snakeskin) on March 14th, the pairing is a perfect fit, with Glazer’s hard-nosed fuzz punk sound decimating eardrums as Spowder make twitchy experimental noise pop anthems, both bands adopting an off-kilter approach to their frenzied shout-alongs. With three new tracks each, they have created one of the underground indie punk scene’s most essential releases of this young year.
All six song’s are stand-outs, a split “single” without a moment wasted. Take the first and last song, Glazer’s “Crystal Probe” and Spowder’s “Hell Palm.” The record’s reintroduction to Glazer is an important one, part ferocious, part syrupy fuzz pop. Opening with a wave of feedback, a propulsive hardcore downbeat, and primal agitated shouting, it’s as heavy as a ton of bricks, until the back half when they band casually shifts back into their blown out ear-bleeding power-pop perfection. Spowder’s “Hell Palm” is all swirling slacker punk devastation, riding a locked in rhythm directly into the eye of the storm. The colossal fills and tension become progressively more unglued as the rhythm section hurdles forward with a Lightning Bolt-esque intensity. Mixing together nimble post-punk simplicity and crushing riffs with giant double-tracked vocals that howl and spit, the band’s have effectively cemented themselves in your mind.
The two bands will be bringing their split on the road together:
3/14 - Highland Park, NJ @ Chamber 43
3/15 - Brooklyn, NY @ Rubulad w/ Language & Snakesin
3/16 - Middletown, CT @ Mac650
3/17 - Easthampton, MA @ Flywheel