by Eli Weinberg (@djSlimeberg)
Forty Feet Tall are in top form. The Portland-based group has been honing their own distinct style of progressive grunge inflected post-punk for the past ten or so years. They gained steam early on, accruing some notoriety for landing placements on TV shows like Showtime’s Shameless. Lately, they've opened for acts like Omni, Frankie and The Witch Fingers, and Shame.
Their new single, “Good For You,” feels gargantuan. The rhythm section, comprised of Brett Marquette on bass and Ian Kelley on drums, creates an extaordinary tension right from the jump. Oscillating between a driving march and a reverberating black hole of pulsing sonics, the track barrels forward at a cinematic pace. Metalloid feedback hisses like an overworked machine as lead guitarist Jack Sehre’s slicing melodies forebodingly tremolo into brick walls of riffage. The instrumentation feels simple and straightforward, but a closer listen reveals a dynamic intricacy in its towering layers. It’s absolutely electric.
The accompanying video bolsters the track with cascading waves of bizarro psychedelic visuals. Swaths of color rhythmically bleed into sludgy neon iconography like an exploded propaganda poster, drawing the listener further into the world of the song.
Lead singer Cole Gann’s impassioned vocal delivery evokes the shared inner monologue of a people on the brink of revolution. A glare at the surveillance camera. The breakroom rendezvous before the walkout. A palpable and riveting tension. Gann embodies this feeling as he sings and shouts with brutal candor. Citing influences ranging from Television to Metz to Kendrick Lamar, Forty Feet Tall are crafting politically-charged post-punk which envelops the listener in a shroud of pummeling grooves. Despite its darkness, “Good For You” feels uplifting; as if it could give one the strength to envision a better world just beyond the horizon.