Power house drumming, fuzzy lint-covered brash guitar, bullhorn whooping lyrics and stabilizing bass are what compile to result in the Pathers latest release, Things Are Strange, released on Vice Records.
A tad Jesus Lizard, a bit Tool, this five-piece from Brooklyn is heavy, almost hardcore, not too garage or punk. By avoiding any major genre these gents have created a sound evacuation full of lyrics referencing alternative sexual lifestyles, politics, and gentrification. Vocalist Jayson Green describes their sound as “long heavy psych stuff.”
Tracks like “If You Were Young Once, Rage” quiver with brooding piano and atmospheric noise before giving way to an open rock forum for proverbial rioting. Tracks like “Thank Me with Your Hands” aren’t exactly nü metal (thank god) but still have the raw feeling of early Sonic Youth or Nirvana. Theirs is a sound in limbo, but balanced nonetheless.
Conversions from loud and fast to quiet and intense coupled with Green’s sort-of melodic yelling are what bring me to this conclusion: the formula isn’t new, and the material itself really isn’t either, but the Panthers have come across a style that suits them, and just might suit you, too.
