by Chanell Noise (@igetsalty)
“Smokejumper,” the first song off of the EP, shreds any doubt a listener may have in A Deer A Horse. The anthem comes on strong, there isn’t a word uttered for 25 seconds. The hook is more of a statement than a question: “you’re on the road again.” The song descends into harmonious discord complete with call-and-response between guitar and drums and repeated wails.
The talented three-piece based out of Brooklyn, NY released Everything Rots That Is Rotten in June 2019. There is Angela Phillips on bass and vocals, Rebecca Satellite on guitar and vocals and Dylan Teggart on drums. Calling A Deer A Horse well-traveled is an understatement; the trio have clocked in over 250 performances as of last year.
Everything That Rots Is Rotten fits nicely into their macabre discography. The project, available digitally (cassettes are sold out), is only about seventeen minutes long but chock full of introspective lyrics (“... like on the kids' names, and the mouth feeds you. Burned out in the back lane, and the cards cheat you” as heard on “Cold Shoulder”) and avant-garde rock instrumentation.
“Otherside,” explained as a response to the United States immigration policies, starts with just instrumentation again. No lyrics for a whole minute and some change. The hook features Satellite chanting “Can you get to the otherside of it?” First softer, then more deliberate. Much of the EP showcases their incredible blend of dark guitar solos, morose baselines and bold percussive attitudes that both push melodic change-ups yet contain the tempo.
Everything Rots That Is Rotten’s candor, lyrics, and emotive compositions make for a head-banging shock of an EP. If you’re looking for something to bump that’s unapologetically harder than the rest of your playlist, add this.