Baton Rouge isn’t exactly known for exporting occult-leaning emotional hardcore, but that’s where Spiritiste come from. The band’s debut album, “Excommunication Hymns,” lands as a rage-fueled response to political decay and religious oppression, yet keeps a flicker of hope running through its ten tracks. Recorded by Matt Bear and mastered by Alan Douches, it’s not a sketch or a first attempt—this one arrives fully realized.
The first taste comes with “Transagion Prayer.” Jade, who handles vocals, explained how the song fell together in a way that surprised her: “This song is special to me as it was created so serendipitously. It’s the only time the music and the lyrics, the first of any of the lyrics to feature more personal and emotional themes, were written separately but fit together so perfectly.”
For guitarist Yann, the track marks a turning point. He and drummer Billy had already been shaping material when bassist Dave and Jade came in, and the shift was immediate. “Transagion Prayer was a big step in the evolution of our sound and sort of functions like a title track for our album,” he said. “I get chills every time I hear Jade scream ‘My soul sits condemned outside the church I used to attend.’ It is by far one of my favorite lines on the LP.”
Spiritiste nod to ‘90s hardcore touchstones like Shotmaker and Portraits of Past, but they’re just as likely to lean on the noise rock churn of Jesus Lizard and Chat Pile, or draw kinship with contemporary screamo acts such as State Faults, Habak, and Frail Body. The result swings from steady and composed passages to full-blown chaos, a push-and-pull that keeps their sound unstable by design.
“Excommunication Hymns” follows a three-song demo from 2023 and is being released through Tor Johnson Records in collaboration with Protagonist Music.
The band itself pulls members from With Arms Still Empty, Secret Smoker, Hey Thanks!, Shipwrecked, and Heavy Mantle, making Spiritiste less a new arrival than a convergence of Baton Rouge underground threads.
Live dates are already on the calendar: September 30 at Gasa Gasa in New Orleans with Lagrimas, Palefade, and Portia; October 15 at Fred Hampton Free Store in New Orleans with Sulk ii, Tidus, Gall, and Hijack the Float; and November 14 at Mid City Ballroom in Baton Rouge, the official album release show with Slowhole, Panama Papers, and Quilt.
You can hear “Transagion Prayer” now and pre-order “Excommunication Hymns” through Tor Johnson Records.
