by Colin Vallee (@ColinJBeard)
Bursting out of the Japanese knotweed of intersecting rhythms and notes is the wonderful new track “Against Nature” by Portland band Lubec. They carry that same kind of punk dressed in dream pop vibe I'm used to, but the composition this time around feels more complicated and frustrated, properly mirroring its subject matter. Lines like "You try to be against nature / just as you were told" capture the absurdity and frustration often felt when dealing with "free-speech" pundits and climate-change deniers, more interested in "owning the libs" than they are in paying attention to their dying planet.
In the middle of the track, you can hear snippets from Andrei Tarkovsky's 1983 Russian-Italian film "Nostalghia". Apparently pulled from moments where "themes of longing, loneliness, the untranslatability of art and culture, the importance and necessity of communication and the failure and barrier to do so", they give the whole release a nice cohesive touch.
Having heard the rest of the EP I can safely say that this might be one of Lubec's best so far. Lyrically the songs feel concise and focused, and the arrangements are lush and textural. I bet they're an absolute treat to see live.
Against Nature will be available October 18th on Disposable America. Lubec is also going on tour, hitting these cities in the near future:
10/03 - Portland, OR @ Bunk Bar
10/17 - Portland, OR @ Turn! Turn! Turn! (Record Release Show)
10/18 - Seattle, WA @ The Planet (House Show)
10/19 - Vancouver, BC @ The Woods