Review Summary: Floating in a death star, far away...
Feeling defeated, reflective and alone is often coupled with retreating into a safe place where nothing can stifle you – maybe it’s your bedroom, or on a bench overlooking something beautiful, or even a location that embodies brighter times now lost. It’s your space. Your vacuum. We know it probably makes the condition worse, but we do it anyway. 3-track EP
Christians and Freemasons Will Kill Me captures these times in its sound, atmosphere and lyrics.
Recently signed to Broken World Media (and therefore sharing a label with big and upcoming names in emo such as
The World is a Beautiful Place... and I am No Longer Afraid to Die), the strangely named Posture & the Grizzly are a pop-punk band with emo leanings hailing from Willimantic, a village in Connecticut.
The sound on
Christians and Freemasons Will Kill Me bears a striking resemblance to the sound laid down by pop-punk giants
blink-182 on 2003’s experimental self-titled album (particularly the spacey soundscapes of “Asthenia”). Opener “I Am Not a Real Doctor” begins with strummed acoustic guitar in front of a backdrop of synth, guitar feedback and space radio chatter. The floating verse that follows builds in intensity and volume into an outburst of indie-rock fury, quickly hushing and transitioning into “Mandy”.
Musically, the band never lets up in creating an appropriate atmosphere. Synth and even piano are dotted throughout, while the guitar parts weave in and out of the acoustic strums and bass lines with reverb-drenched arpeggios, octave chords and feedback. The vocals--even sounding like Tom DeLonge at times--are shouted to the forefront of the mix, occasionally accompanied by reverb, other effects and backing harmonies.
The lyrics here get bleak, only complimenting the drugged, spacey atmosphere of dysthymia (“***ing kill me or you know I will” or “Where’s my mind?/Deranged/Like a Killer”). But that’s not to say they don’t show a glimmer of hope; the verses of “Mandy” provide the album its best vocal melodies, partnered with a bare tom-based drum beat and octave guitar chords, and with lyrics such as “Mandy, don't you know you could paint a smile/In time we’re sure to glow/Man, there's still so much I don't know”, present a solid EP highlight.
“Kill Me” ends the album in more familiar pop-punk territory, but even here, gentle strums of acoustic guitar separate the explosions of a driving rhythm section and crunching power chords. (Also, check out the twin vocal outro * la “Feeling This”.) The listener is reminded that, despite the impressive atmosphere and change of pace from other pop-punk/emo, there is still a degree of familiarity in the chord progressions and vocal delivery, as is often the case within the genre. Meanwhile, the EP’s runtime of (just below) 9 minutes leaves the listener wanting more, but allows for quick, digestible listens.
Christians and Freemasons Will Kill Me is an impressive EP that floats along in a vacuum of longing and loneliness, creating a unique sound influenced by the atmosphere blink-182 maturely injected into their music in 2003. The short runtime and similarities to the musicianship displayed amongst the pop-punk/emo population only leave the listener wanting more; proving Posture & the Grizzly is most definitely a band to keep an eye on.
