(Street Eaters, photo by Leo Docuyanan)
Street Eaters are two friends who have been making music together since at least 2009. Any band that’s been putting out music that long has really figured out how to operate together; between coordinating schedules, goals, and song writing intentions, it’s not always a walk in the park.
Last year’s LP Blood:Muscles:Bones saw Megan March and John No collaborating on 10 tracks of driving, angular punk songs, whose vocals were simultaneously catchy in a pop-punk sense, and also eerie in an icy, San Francisco post-punk vein. Fast forward over a hundred shows and several continents later and the band members are gearing up for their third record.
The first single for that record just debuted on Impose; entitled “Paralyzed,” the song is a two and half minute noise track whose backbone is comprised of power chords and harmonics. I’m slightly reminded of the late and great Baader Brains, mostly by the vocals – specifically the strained, shouted moments that invoke militant, anthemic commands and passionate declarations.
As there’s only one string player, the guitar tone is thick enough for a whole band. This makes it difficult to discern what’s going on during the more hectic moments, but gives the straightforward parts an undeniable punch. Overall the vocals were a big takeaway for me, and I almost wish they were higher in the mix.
“Paralyzed” has me curious as to what this new album will offer; their last record opened with noise – experimenting with reverse drums and alternate left and right panning, so my fingers are crossed that Street Eaters will be pushing their sound on the rest of this record. The duo are currently out on a tour that takes them across the US and Canada, and their final show lands them back in the Bay at the Hemlock. Event is below.
Street Eaters, Nervosas, Silent Era
The Hemlock
July 8th, 2015
21+, FREE
