Fat Wreck Chords – May 15, 2020
Western Addiction brings the intensity, and the songs.
Western Addiction is a bit of a difficult band to discuss. A bunch of years ago, I remember reading about Cognicide, the 2005 Fat Wreck debut from these guys. Lots of people seemed to love the record, making allusions to Black Flag along the way (no doubt partially informed by a song titled “The Church of Black Flag”). I love some Black Flag, so I checked it out. But I admittedly struggled to get into it. It was aggressive, it felt a little violent, and it seemed sort of smart. But nothing stuck. I lost track and forgot them at about the same time that they started laying low, taking care of day jobs and hanging with family (as surmised from a great interview with Grim Deeds, found here). I didn’t miss them because I didn’t know any better.
Following a twelve year recording break, Western Addiction reemerged with 2017’s Tremulous (a record I skipped after failing to connect with Cognicide). Now, they’re giving us Frail Bray, a record of cathartic release, intriguing song structures, and clever melodies. I’ve listened to Frail Bray a bunch of times and here’s the conclusion I’ve come to: it’s got the songs. Opener “The Leopard and the Juniper” and lead single “Lurchers” have power and a primal brutality that does feel a bit like Reyes/Rollins-era Black Flag, complete with the desperation and a bit of the stylistic and structural distinctiveness that made Black Flag so potent. Lines like “you can burn our paintings / we’ll dream a thousand more / each one more subversive than before” (from throbbing second single “They Burned Our Paintings) are intelligent and frustrated and hopeful all at once. And the melodies, ah the melodies. Songs like the dementedly hooky “We Lived in Ultraviolet” and the stomping “Wildflowers of Italy” give out earworm goodness and even moments of nearly disturbed prettiness without losing their edge. And that’s a difference maker. Lacerating guitars, pulsing bass, and battered drums create the din, and Jason Hall’s feral yell does the rest. This is good stuff.
Really, I’m pretty surprised by how much I’m liking this and how much better this is hitting me. Way back in 2005 (with Cognicide), I felt like something was missing from Western Addiction. What I think I’ve learned about my listening likes is this: callous and savage intensity can be okay. But callous and savage intensity coupled with clever and melodic songwriting can be great. And Frail Bray is proof of that. This one is worth your time.
Pros
- Songwriting is more diverse and clever, loaded with unique and at times, surprising melodies;
- The music is played ferociously with tones that mangle and lacerate;
- Jason Hall has a tremendous feral yell
Cons
- As with a lot of hardcore/hardcore-adjacent stuff, the sheer noise and violence of the music can make the record tough to make it through in one listen
ryan is a reviewer and news editor for TGEFM. He’s very secretive, he might be an alien.
