It’s been a while, but I’m back from the mystical beyond bearing the highest of offerings: “Stash Jar.” I’m stoked to bring you this single from Julian Heresy, a Madison collective with members from Bongzilla, Whippets, Wristwatch, The Hussy, and Poney—among many others—not just because it’s a fantastic journey of a track, but more because it’s dank enough to singe yer ear hairs until their debut conveniently drops ahead of everyone’s favorite springtime holiday.
Maybe it’s all the weird not-metal shit I’ve been listening to lately that’s given me a fresh set of ears to hear some stoner doom with, but this hits different. “Stash Jar” is all that and several party-size bags of chips, simultaneously green-sounding, astral, and even a little sinister, crossing into a strain of satisfyingly unquiet and gloomy stoner doom. I admit, I’m pushing the volume up on this track to grab every inch of detail in the mix here. There’s a lot to sink your ears into: feedback swells, wily leads, consuming riffs, hefty and organic-sounding drums, Chris Farley in “Beverly Hills Ninja” (fat and nimble) bass lines, and of course, Mikey’s resin-coated bellow.
From feedback surfing in the pitch black on a groovy rhythm section to some put-you-on-your ass powerful hooks, this track glides along with a colossal stride, leaving lots of subtle elements hiding in its wake. Guitar leads find a sort of vocal space in this free, uninhibited-yet-anthemic sort of way, while other moments commit to a looser feel-play that's kinda jammy. It’s a ride, and I’m keen on finding out what else these dudes have in store especially since this track sounds quite different from their previous single, “Emerging From The Quantum Extremal Surface.” Given how much spin I've given these tracks, I'm confident they'll be more than enough to tide us over until the album drops.
Pre-order Julian Heresy’s self-titled debut here ahead of their April 10 release via No Coast Records—especially if you’re keen on landing a copy on vinyl.