GNARWHAL SHARE "CRUCIAL" LP VIA NOISEY

Posted on May 5th, 2017

[as seen on Noisey]

If you've watched the anime film Summer Wars, then you know that being really good at calculus can save the world. If you haven't seen it but saw the Digimon movie way back in the day, then that's fine, because they're pretty much the same film by the same director. The point being: math is Good, actually, in all forms, but especially when employed by adventurous post-hardcore bands like Gnarwhal. The tech-punk duo of Chappy Hull and Yautja/Mutilation Rites drummer Tyler Coburn have returned to challenge all conventional notions of rhythm and harmony with their new album, Crucial.

There's plenty of wizardry on display here; if you can properly count out the riffs in "Being Kidding," you're likely a supercomputer of some sort. But what obviously makes Crucial work is its tumbling momentum, tearing out of the gate with the storming "Marathon Ripper." The album only eases up for a few brief, Reichian interludes of arranged vibraphones and guitar loops. It is intellectual as fuck, and will also claw your eardrums out.