Sundown

Keep Moving

Written by: PP on 13/05/2022 16:34:33

Hailing from Indianapolis, Sundown emerges out of nowhere to release an album that Drug Church has been trying to release their entire career. Blending together hardcore/post-hardcore aggression with gravelly Midwestern punk, their debut album "Keep Moving" is able to capture both the roughened edges of the latter as well as the ferocity of the former while keeping both elements perfectly at bay. The result? An album that sounds like Hot Water Music decided to write a hardcore album in the vein of Drug Church and listened to some Planes Mistaken For Stars for some epic soundscape inspiration in the process.

While everyone in the quartet contributes on vocals, one of the guys owns pipes with such heavy levels of gravel that even Chuck Ragan himself would feel jealous. The title track in particular highlights the heavy gruffness, but throughout the record, the band's expansive soundscapes give perfect resonance to the various levels of roughened roars that each member possesses.

The songs range from the instantly catchy, albeit shouty "Searching", which comes across as a Midwestern punk song with a great clean chorus, to the more complex and hardcore laced pieces like "Don't Ask Me". The latter, in particular, has an eerie Drug Church vibe, but where they have always felt a little repulsive in their distaste for even hints of melody within their expression, Sundown here introduces just enough sweet sugar to make the song an immediate standout.

At just nine tracks, the record feels a little bit on the short side. The production is also more reminiscent of a DIY release, which leaves the overall mix sounding not as crisp as it could be. Should they fix these problems, and focus on writing tracks like the title track, "Peter Weller" and "Searching", they should explode in popularity at least within the punk/post-hardcore scene. That said, "Keep Moving" is a solid album already in its current state.

Download: Searching, Don't Ask Me, Peter Weller, Drained, Keep Moving
For the fans of: Drug Church, Hot Water Music, Planes Mistaken For Stars, Jawbreaker
Listen: Facebook

Release date 25.02.2022
Wise Blood Records

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