Fórn "Repercussions Of The Self"

LP - $17.25 / CASSETTE - $7.00
LP UPC: 765464057181
STREET DATE: 10/25/24
CAT#: VIS019
LABEL: Persistent Vision

Pioneers of "funeral sludge," FÓRN have been favorites of the metal underground since their formation over ten years ago. Kim Kelly, writing for SPIN in 2015, stated: "Rarely does a debut album spring forth from the womb so fully-formed and vital as Fórn's The Departure of Consciousness... The album's six, tense, foreboding compositions take their cues from Thou's poisonous sludge and funeral doom's lightless melancholia in equal measure, and come punctuated by sparse, blood-curdling howls... This album drags listeners into the utter depths of despair then leaves them there, alone, as the last light winks out."

Releasing music via labels such as Gilead Media, including a split with Yautja, the band went dark shortly after touring in support of its 2018 album, Rites of Despair. With a series of major events occurring in the personal lives of the band members -- births, deaths, and relocations across four states and two countries -- and with the COVID pandemic disrupting society as a whole, the years after Rites of Despair would serve as a crucial pause and reset, leading to the radical rebirth that is "Repercussions of the Self".

"Repercussions of the Self", Fórn's first new musical creation since 2018, bursts through the speakers with god-tier grandeur, mixing the downtuned sludge epics the band is known for, with a new, industrial, electronic dimension.

Notably, the album features Lane Shi Otayonii (Elizabeth Colour Wheel) contributing vocals and electronics across all its six tracks. A past collaborator, Otayonii makes her debut here as a full-fledged contributing member of Fórn.

"Repercussions of the Self" was engineered and mixed by Kevin Bernsten at Developing Nations in Baltimore, Maryland and mastered by James Plotkin at Plotkinworks. The artwork is a collaboration between Alexander L. Brown and Devin Toye.

Vinyl comes packaged in a full color jacket with a printed inner sleeve.

TRACK LISTING:
01. Pact of Forgetting
02. Soul Shadow
03. Hela's Choir
04. Anamnesis
05. Regrets Abyss
06. Dreams of the Blood

MARKETING POINTS:

  • Engineered by Keven Bernsten at Developing Nations (Full of Hell) with mastering by James Plotkin (Khanate)
  • Features new member Lane Shi Otayonii (Elizabeth Colour Wheel) contributing additional vocals and electronics across all tracks
  • PR Campaign by Curran Reynolds at The Chain PR (The Red Chord, Chat Pile)

FOR FANS OF:
Thou, Bell Witch, Noothgrush, Grief

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Squint "Big Hand"

LP - $17.25
LP UPC: 843563179451
STREET DATE: 10/25/24
CAT#: SDR-124
LABEL: Sunday Drive

Big Hand--in reference to the constant moving of time on a clock--can gather a sense of anxiety, excitement, hope and hopelessness. In a more literal sense, a big hand can pack a punch, swell, break and recover. The St. Louis hardcore-punk band, Squint render their perspective through their debut album, Big Hand, by a summation of decades of influences of punk, hardcore, alternative and art-rock. With the collaboration of producer Jon Markson (Samiam, Drain, The Story So Far) and much touring, Squint has developed their sound & presence to their fullest potential.

A track like "Sunshine" demonstrates Squint's core identity--fuzzy hardcore with a catchy melody inspired by mid-late 80s punk/hardcore like Rites of Spring, Hüsker Dü and Black Flag--however, Squint dive much further into the well of 90s alternative rock with songs like "Magic" and "Half Asleep" which pull in many cues from bands like Pixies to Third Eye Blind and Everclear. Building on top of the Squint's ringing guitar melodies, they've crafted larger choruses than before, while still staying true to their core. Lyrically, vocalist Brennan Wilkinson poetically exhibits his frustrations with time and growth while facing obstacles that result in getting stuck in the same routines--it's a constant push and pull of progression and regression. Wilkinson's distinctive voice is shouted on each song, expressed in angst, but also hope. In the closing, self-titled track, "Big Hand", Squint builds on a slow tempo to fast hook, and lyrics shift from a sense of emptiness to an aspiration to take back control of time--or the Big Hand.

TRACK LISTING:
01. Lesson Learned
02. Sunshine
03. Magic
04. Half Asleep
05. Well Wisher
06. Pack Rat
07. Crawl Back
08. Grace
09. Golden State
10. Big Hand

MARKETING POINTS:

  • Produced by Jon Markson (Samiam, Drain, The Story So Far)
  • Debut LP from Squint
  • Upcoming EU tour with Feverchild this fall

FOR FANS OF:
Hüsker Dü, Pixies, Third Eye Blind, Drug Church

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