The influence of nostalgic, ‘90s grunge and emo inspired post hardcore in the vein of BASEMENT, TITLE FIGHT and CITIZEN continues to show here and there, and it’s always a pleasure to realize there’s still room for more rich and compelling records that deserve and reward our close attention. “Distract Your Mind” by alt / melodic post hardcore SPIRIT DESIRE delivers a breeze of tunefulness balanced with moody aggression that recalls the melodically inventive pioneers from the past. We’re thrilled to give you a chance to hear it first and offer first hand commentary on its inspirations and lyrical content. Read the official word below and play the record below!
“Distract Your Mind” by SPIRIT DESIRE comes out November 3rd via Miss The Stars Records and Midsummer Records (use the links for pre-orders) and will be available on plain white and white/red marbled 12“ vinyl.
With ‘Distract Your Mind‘ we wanted to write a LP with a heavier instrumental sound and cleaner vocals than we had it in our EPs before. Thanks to Markus (Doom Studios and guitarist in the band Implore) the outcome of DYM’s sound is pretty much where we wanted it to be – we’re super happy with it.
During the writing process there were a lot of things which inspired us – music we were listening to, movies we watched or simply things happening in our lives, but to list everything that inspired us would definitely go beyond the scope.
Since Christian spend a semester abroad in the Netherlands (Utrecht) before we started writing on the LP, his lyrics often deal with the feeling of letting go and loosing control of things which used to give him hold. However, there are other themes too – ‘On My Chest‘ for example is about sleeping paralysis that haunts Christian in his sleep on a regular basis and ’Hollow out my Head’ is dedicated to everyone who’s suffering on chronic migraine headache.
Photo by Slih’s Photography.
In short time Spirit Desire managed to make their mark in the Austrian underground scene. After being founded at the end of 2014 they released a demo tape straight away and let the split EP “Same Blood”, together with local hardcore greats ORPHAN, follow a year later. In spring 2016 they put out their self-titled debut EP, and in early 2017 they started the year with a one-song-EP called “Sanchez”.
Spirit Desire’s stile of music definitely has its roots in the 90’s – influenced by the likes of Dinosaur Jr., Nirvana, Weezer (Blue Album / Pinkerton) and the ilk, but also early emo and punk. However, more recent bands like Basement, Tigers Jaw or Nothing (they have already shared stages with all of them) are often used as a comparison. Their lyrics most of the time deal with emotional topics, still they manage not to drift off into dramatic spheres, but leave room for interpretation.
SPIRIT DESIRE are hitting the road in October, kicking off on october 20th in Vienna, wraping it up at their record release show on November 3rd in Linz. The show will mark the last ever performance from ORPHAN, and will feature additional performances from NEW NATIVE, and COOL K.
