Review Summary: it's so it's so it's so
You ever heard of mumble post-punk？No？Yeah, me neither, but if such a genre were to exist I think the Portland natives known as LITHICS would come close to falling under such a categorization. Really, it’s Aubrey Hornor’s monotone, detached delivery that sold me on
Mating Surfaces, a brief LP that explores abrasive jangle anti-pop over the course of 12 tracks. Her vocals are ever-so-slightly buried under the driving bass and sporadic guitars, making for lyrics like “
Can I see her？ / can I talk to my dog ？” strangely other-worldly and sometimes indecipherable. Often thriving in repeated phrases, the deadpan delivery and emotionless pronunciation is beguiling, making you wonder exactly why she’s relaying such abstractions. Abstractions, yes, that’s the word I’ve been looking for; it’s an erosive endeavor in atonal post-punk, recalling bands like Palm and IDLES within the same fell swoop.
Highlight ‘Boyce’ sees the band reveling in the screeching guitar tones, constantly plucking away at the same notes while percussive splashes fade in and out in the background. And then the song just suddenly slows the hell down and, well, ends. For an album so repetitive it really does seem to have some surprising tricks up its sleeve throughout the effort. It’s constantly relaying the same musical schematics, yet
Mating Surfaces never seems to be stuck in one place as every song twists and turns subtly, defying the usual architecture for such a genre. While there are tons of details to pick apart within an LP clocking in at just under 30 minutes, the scattered abstractions reveal a clueless mess that could be cleaned up just a touch. It’s hard to argue for refinement when the band themselves have been quoted as saying that “harsh” is what they’re going for. However, due to the varying song lengths and tempos across the platter, the release feels a bit thrown together for the sake of calling it such. Make no mistake, though -- I have a feeling their next release will shock and woo the music scene, or perhaps subdue it in a trance. I’m ready for either.
