by Patrick Pilch (@pratprilch)
People have been asking about my workout routine and it’s listening to the new Multicult while watching Hydraulic Press videos. Simultaneity Now absolutely crushes. Multicult's feral strain of pulverizing post-hardcore continues to split the arrow of genre, pulling elements of free jazz, post punk and no wave into a noise rock cyclone that whips up influence and spits out originality onto a splattered and serrated canvas.
Simultaneity Now is like a soundtrack for slow motion crash test footage. Big meaty claw type riffs. Rebecca Burchette’s sludge-encrusted bass line dwells in the record’s underbelly while Nick Skrobisz’ six strings strike like a slow motion sucker punch straight to the humerus. It’s the type of noise-coated punk that’s as disorienting as it is engaging, as Jake Cregger’s rhythmic pivots add a dash of math rock to the equation, making for a percussively sawtoothed listen.
Multicult’s increasingly singular approach has blurred the boundaries of genre over the group’s ten year existence. The trio's shifting tone and attitude finds them capable of progression under essentially the same sonic foundation. Frantically inviting and grippingly manic, Simultaneity Now is their most innovative record yet. It maintains a high octane energy that rages past at a lightning swift pace, certain to leave listeners chomping at the bit. High points “Torsion” and “Incoming Noise” demonstrate Multicult’s knack for delivering quick hooks; each track enters with a riveting sense of urgency and appeal, while opener “Caterwaul” is a menacing, zero frills introduction and one of Multicult’s best tracks to date.
With Simultaneity Now, the Baltimore mainstays continue to prove themselves as one of Charm City’s most underrated acts. Their first Learning Curve full length is consistently brutal, a pummeling fuckstorm of noise that sounds like rubber glue being pushed through an inflamed meat grinder.