by Dan Goldin (@post_trash_)
They say all good things must come to an end, which really is unfortunate when it comes to great bands. After a decade together, Tallahassee’s Night Witch have decided to call it quits (it’s hard being a band with members spread throughout the country), but not before they share a new record and embark on a farewell tour this Fall. That record, Host Body, is the band’s third full length, a blistering and brutal feminist hardcore record comprised of eight songs in just under nine chaotic minutes… a proper hardcore full length. The righteous indignation and violent carnage of their sound shines with a real kick-in-the-teeth resonance on Host Body, due out August 31st. Night Witch are filled with societal dread as they address sexual assault, racism, classism, and demand accountability. The subjects are heavy but the quartet are exorcising the bullshit as best they can for a relentless moment of catharsis.
“Host Body,” the record’s lead single and title track, tears into existence on a buzzsaw riff and stampeding drums, the entire thing threatening to rampages society to rubble. It’s anxious and shaking, running at a sprint from start to finish aside from a nuanced shift, seemingly built to ignite the pit into a sludgy pummel. Exploring depression and thoughts of unlikely survival, the songs finds vocalist Rosie Richeson looking to quiet the voices in her head, asking “How do you ignore it? How do you keep it at bay? How can I think of something else for just a second? Some little relief.” For anyone whose ever felt trapped in their mind, let this rattle around in your head.
Speaking about the song, Richeson shared:
“‘Host Body’ is a song we wrote collaboratively about our shared struggles with anxiety and depression. How, after a lifetime of thinking destructive thoughts - “no one likes you or wants you around, you aren’t good enough for anyone, you’ll never be someone’s first choice” - every single moment of every single day, you stop feeling like a person. You lose all sense of self and feel like you ARE those thoughts. Like they’re a cordycep that is just moving you around like a doll until you finally can’t take it anymore and go the dark place it’s been trying to force you into and never get out."
Tour Dates:
09/15 - Richmond, VA @ Banditos
09/17 - Philadelphia, PA @ The Power Market
10/05 - Minneapolis, MN @ Disgraceland
10/06 - Milwaukee, WI
10/07 - St Louis/Chicago
10/08 - Springfield, MO @ Dumb Records
10/09 - Iowa City, IA
10/26 - Tallahassee, FL @ The Bark
10/28 - Gainesville, FL @ The Fest! (Final Show)
In related news: Night Witch’s Nikki Derella (who also plays in MN’s Buio Omega) was present at the recent mass shooting that took place at Nudieland in Minneapolis. They’re asking folks to donate to the victim recovery fund in order to support those who have been affected.