by Dan Goldin (@post_trash_)
Jen Bender is the vocalist, guitarist, and songwriter for Rochester, NY’s Cusp, a new band that features members of Full Body 2 (fka Full Body) and Rut. The band’s name comes from Bender’s feeling of always being on the cusp of life changes and never fully on the other side. With age and reflection however, it’s a bit tongue-in-cheek of a name as life moves along and changes are always occurring. Set to release their debut EP, Spill, via Dadstache Records (Comfy, Slight Of, Mount Sharp) on May 7th, it’s a great collection of worn in and fuzzed out DIY rippers, built with emotion, wandering structures, and plenty of good old guitar harmonies.
The band’s lead single, title track, and album opener (yep, it’s that kind of song) “Spill,” is a great introduction to the band’s exceptional writing, with a guitar progression that snakes between blown out fuzz and off kilter melodies. It lays the sonic framework for Bender’s mental gymnastics as she reflects that unshakable feeling of dread we all know too well. Singing “Things change, at least more often than not. I would like to get to know myself under a different circumstance,” Bender offers a removed look at her own personal relationship with herself. The song twists and turns, digs and glides through stop/start rhythms and moments of raw dirge-pop, and each shift offers further reminder, Cusp are definitely a band to watch.