by Dan Goldin (@paintingwithdan)
Boston’s Pariah Dog are a new band with some familiar faces, namely the duo of Max Green and Tré Hester, who both spent time playing in the earliest Great Deceivers line-up. They’ve both stayed busy over the past decade, but decided to reunite and start a new project, written remotely but recorded together in Chicago with former band mate and DIY producer extraordinaire Seth Engel (who also handles drums on the record). The resulting album, Stirring Truth, is due out on October 3rd, an album of intricate post-hardcore, lush atmospheres, acoustic textures, and sharp melodic hooks. There’s a sense of finesse and a delicate touch to the construction that only work to strengthen the punch of the guitars and cosmic heft of the writing.
“Bitter End” is our introduction to the band and their album, a stunning statement of a song that really uses all its surrounding space to pull us deep into Pariah Dog’s orbit. From the gorgeous and gentle intro that rings with harmonic bliss and warm arpeggiated guitar, we’re enveloped in their patience grace, and then there’s a verse. Slightly discordant and utterly captivating, Green’s vocal melody sits triumphantly within the band’s duel guitar make-up, the hooks popping like sunspots as they weave and maneuver through a labryinth progression. It’s fucking stunning.
The band will be donating all proceeds from the album to the National Alliance to End Homelessness.