Rockfreaks.net

Quicksand

Interiors

Written by: PP on 26/04/2018 23:09:48

One of the most overseen releases of 2017 was the comeback album of 90s legends Quicksand. Following in the footsteps of bands like Fugazi and Helmet, the group, which features Walter Schreifels (Gorilla Biscuits, Rival Schools) on vocals, is considered to be one of the pioneers of post-hardcore as a genre through their 1993 and 1995 albums "Slip" and "Manic Compression", respectively. Back then, the band were murky and misunderstood, generally appreciated to have been just way ahead of their time with those records only gaining notoriety once they were permanently gone. No strangers to stress and conflict, Quicksand disbanded in 1995 and have only performed sporadically since then. That is until they resurfaced last year with a full tour schedule and a brand new album "Interiors", their first one in 22 years (!).

Usually, such reunion albums tend to be meager: far-fetched attempts at rekindling old glory decades later with little success. Not so with "Interiors". Though over two decades of inactivity have certainly brought a change to their sound - they now essentially sound like how I imagine Rival Schools writing a Quicksand album would sound like, which is an intriguing thought in itself - it's still very much recognizable to be a Quicksand album through and through. What's more is that it's extremely consistent and, surprisingly, catchy as hell.

Schreifels' howls are every bit as dreamy and timeless as they were back in the day, which inspired groups like Deftones and Glassjaw among others, and the band's lofty brand of alternative rock/grunge instrumentals forms a fantastic dynamic between light and heavy, stadium-sized and intimate, and upbeat but progressive. It's a unique soundscape that many have attempted to clone with little success, and here Quicksand delivers twelve songs straight of such quality that they just make it sound easy. "Warm And Low" is infectiously catchy, "Hyperion" sounds like post-rock compressed enough for those lacking the attention span to listen to the long songs, and "Cosmonauts" is just pure beautiful in its way of allowing Schreifel channel his howls to an expansive soundscape that feels arena-sized, to say the least.

Because of the sheer songwriting masterclass on offer, it's difficult to pick just one or two songs that stand above the rest. The 90s style alternative rock vibe sounds as refreshing as ever and the vocal performance by Schreifels is nothing short of breathtaking, making "Interiors" one of the most underrated records of 2017.

Download: Warm And Low, Cosmonauts, Interiors, Hyperion, Illuminant, Under The Screw
For the fans of: Jawbox, Rival Schools, Helmet, Glassjaw, Deftones
Listen: Facebook

Release date 10.11.2017
Epitaph