SLEEMO - DEGRADATION EP
In a couple of years, Sleemo have gone from being a decent, if unremarkable, post-punk band to something special. New EP Degradation shows just how special.
Mind Bender is a storming opener that brings to mind cult alt.rock legends The God Machine mixing it up with Therapy? If anything, Rabbit Run takes the intensity up a notch or two, with some intriguing black metal death-grunt backing vocals buried deep in the mix. Sleemo don’t go in for the quiet/LOUD approach beloved of The Pixies, Nirvana or early Mogwai but they have a keen grasp of dynamics, ably demonstrated here by the gentler interludes between the fire and fury in The Dead Fish and Imitate The Thief. Throughout, Billy Utting’s guitars snarl along with Jack Andrews’ seething bass and Jacob Brooks’ pounding drums. Utting’s vocals have something of both Chris Cornell’s roar and Kurt Cobain’s bruised vulnerability.
Sleemo really have created something out of the ordinary with this EP. Give it a go.
10/10
