Is there anything quite like noise rock? The way my windows are vibrating right now says no; something about the merge of super fuzzy guitars, a huge groove section and melodious singing hits just right, setting our hearts aflame. Torche, KEN mode, Floor and their ilk have all brought melody creeping more and more into this genre. However, I’m here today to talk about neither of those. Rather, allow me to present you with the more wide eyed, hair askew, irreverent partner in crime of the above, Fashion Week. Fresh off of their 2017 release, So Last Season, Fashion Week are set to kindle a spark in your eyes with their high-octane and somewhat heavier take on melody, fuzz, aggression and messaging.
The album starts with everything you need to know; “Heroin Chic” is a nugget of fury, a short hop of unbound energy and verve. The way the main vocals dive in and out of the gang vocals, the incredible girth on the guitars, everything just leaps and swirls with the power of youth. The rest of the album contains more of this but also darker, heavier tunes; “Lydian Hearst” for example is a raw, emo-tinged twist on the Fashion Week formula, where the vocals are scrapped raw over the still immensely present instruments. Tracks like “Heidi Klum” plunge the band into the stoner classifications, adorning the guitars with even more buzzsaw gilding and turning the bass’s role into center stage.
There are plenty more way-points on So Last Season but, at this stage, I’m just going to release you to explore it for yourself. There’s a lot in there so make sure to give the album a few listens; once you start getting oriented in its hills of overdrive and distortion, there’s a lot of emotion and clever ideas to unearth. Oh, and there’s also “Bryant Park” near the end, which could possibly contain one of my favorite riffs of the year. See you there.