STOMACH- ‘Monument’
Stomach are suitably named. From their fuzzy, rumbling riffs to lyrics like “I’m trying out all of your old hobbies, reaching for something to hold on to”, this is music that punches at your gut. Like Brand New turned all the way up to 11 or a Ken Andrews project determined to drill into the dirt rather than soar into the sky, the Texas trio take dense, layered emo and bolster it with metallic crunch, down-tempo drone and a raw, dusty production. Even when softer edges are introduced- and the final track here never really lifts above a whisper- a line of feedback or roll of thunder always seems to be lurking. The gloom is so heavy that any more than the 30 minutes on offer here might have been too much, and the melancholy, monotone vocals won’t work for everyone, but still, ‘Monument’ is built to last.
