So Pitted
neo
Sub Pop is a record label that has always championed forward thinking bands and one of the latest signings to the label are So Pitted and their debut album neo fits perfectly with the labels acclaimed back catalogue and list of seminal artists.
So Pitted fit perfectly in with the Sub Pop lineage and with kindred spirits like Tad, Mudhoney and even Nirvana evident in the So Pitted sound, these are at the core of it, noisy pop songs, extremely noisy pop songs to be fair just as those aforementioned bands did the same thing so well previously.
Despite having extremely noisy pop songs at its core, bands sound is certainly difficult to totally pin down such is the eclectic nature of it all, but one thing is certain, this is band with a shedload of chaotic attitude combined with a hell of a lot of noise, for example, the likes of Pay Attention To Me and Holding The Void bring to mind a combination of the unholy trio of The Jesus Lizard, The Melvins and Scratch Acid with a more melodic hardcore vibe ala Fucked Up while Woe sounds like a clash between Devo and Godflesh with Liz Fraser singing and The Sickness sounds like the bastard offspring of a meeting between The Dead Kennedys and a number of Amphetamine Reptile bands.
There is a sheer blanket of noise throughout the album, coating the music in a comforting fuzz but never overshadowing the songs, quite the opposite to be honest, it in fact enhances them and gives them a raw edge. Take for example the noisy robotic groove of Feed Me, the glorious noise acts like an extra instrument that smothers you with its sheer power or the noisy haze of I’m Not Over It, a song that would have been a definite alternative hit in the 90s with its Helmet meets Ministry vibe.
Elsewhere on the album, tracks like Rot In Hell, No Nuke Country and album closer Chop Down That Tree are prime slabs of industrial, hardcore and noise rock (in that order) that are as eclectic as they are heavy.
In neo, So Pitted have made an album that rallies against the mundane and revels in its noise ridden eclectic’s. A fantastic debut and a band that deserves to go far.
So Pitted – neo due February 19th 2016 via Sub Pop Records.
https://megamart.subpop.com/releases/so_pitted/neo
Words: Gavin Brown
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