The 3-way split between noisecore quintet Kissies, post-mathcore trio Splundr, and noise act KPG unites these projects from New Jersey for an experience that’s linked not just by geography.
Asbury Park’s Kissies sideline their acidic brand of screamo for an approach that will creep up on their forthcoming debut LP. Both “Hey Boys” and “Tuesday” tease out this next iteration of the band, propped up by stutter-stop percussion, thorny and sludgy guitars that slam and singe against each other, and the jagged whirrs of noise punk that punctuate each step forward.
Inspired by their friends in Kissies, East Windsor’s Splundr unravels their mastery of downcast atmospheres to its most urgent, snaggle-toothed elements for “Martyr,” a blistering excursion into surging metalcore. “Litter” continues the band’s balance between post-rock’s shimmering grandness and mathcore’s sudden twists, striking a hard line between chaos and composure.
As if to tie these two extremes together, KPG (the initialism of noise artist Ken Geiger) offers a two-part epic which volleys between texture and tumult. “One More Green Nightmare,” the culmination of a lengthy collaboration between other New Brunswick artists, dismantles boundaries set by a minimal two-synth setup, creating a feeling of weightlessness and escapism.
This split is an exploration and combustion of where each act is on their respective artistic timeline. Consider this a break in each continuum, and a fork in the road to predict future work.
credits
released December 22, 2020
Album art by Kevin Sabik. Cassette j-card artwork by Michelle Nuccio. Kissies' songs were recorded by Andrew Corl at their house in Pennsylvania Furnace, PA.
Kissies is: Alex Angley (guitar/vocals; they/them), Brandon Hakim (synth/noise; they/them), Luke Henderiks (bass/vocals; they/them), Kevin Henson (guitar/vocals; they/them), and Kim Rubin (drums/vocals; they/them).
Splundr is: Phylix Almentero (guitar/vocals; she/they), Kayo Myslowsk (bass; he/him), and Andrew Leed (drums; he/him).
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