lonelyisaneyesore are a noisy screamo-adjacent band from Boston, Massachusetts, who released their debut 3-track EP called ‘thin skin‘ in late August 2022. The eerie offering fleshes out sounds of the gritty, screamy post hardcore legacy, packs it in a dark box of various influences, from shoegaze, to post rock, and black metal. Just like the newest EP from ENVY, it unlocks three different shades of their craft, blending in dirty, sludgy riffs, spoken word, beauitful soundscapes and noisy sounds of suffering.
“thin skin” comes as an intriguing debut, both powerful in its execution of an idea, but also quite sure of its own signature. To celebrate its release and deliver another end of the year list of records worth your time this year, we asked the band to give us their genuine picks of remarkable, memorable releases this year. Check out the full list below.
Catch the band live on November 30th in Allston, MA. See the details in the flyer below.
Juan (guitar):
Both of these albums are extremely weird. The first one is heavy and crushing, the other is contemplative and unsettling at points. Somewhere in between that is where I want to be, musically. They also just rule.
Chat Pile – God’s Country
Chat Pile is pushing what harrowing heavy music can be and do in the wake of noise rock entering the mainstream via Daughters, and the power-vacuum of their subsequent disgrace. I can’t wait to see where they go from here. Their label The Flenser, generally, is really at the forefront of intense, experimental and absolutely apocalyptic rock music. Honorable mentions to Mamaleek’s “Diner Coffee,” also from The Flenser, bringing this Tom Waits-level of cartoonish darkness and emotion to their already very distinct black metal style.
billy woods – Aethiopes
Billy Woods is one of the most unique, prolific and exciting rappers out right now, and I really admire how much he stands out for his own idiosyncrasies. Abstract beats, unorthodox rhyme patterns, lyricism with a depth and skill that I’d sooner read in a published book than just a hip-hop record, it’s all here. The second track’s beat is made up entirely of bagpipe samples with no drums, and it’s some of the scariest music I’ve heard this year. It’ll be a sad, sad day when this man’s pen runs out of ink.
Charlie (bass):
The two albums that have most impressed me in 2022 have crafted impossibly full, ornate, and emotional soundscapes with refreshingly non-standard instrumentation:
foxtails – fawn
With the addition of a violinist, foxtails infused their already unique brand of artsy screamo with the elegance of chamber music (much like BC,NR’s pivot into 2022’s Ants From Up There, a similarly fantastic album). The rhythmic flow between mania and melancholy is taken to new highs by the strings, shrieking and crooning alongside the vocalist, informed by the classic quiet-loud-quiet screamo formula that guides my own playing. Favorite track: life is a death scene, princess
KEN Mode – Null
On the other end of the spectrum, KEN Mode’s saxophonist, now full member, lends an unsettling dissonance to their wall of noise. Ominous and anxiety-inducing, the slower moments shine, something that I hope to emulate. Favorite track: Not My Fault
Continued below…
Justin (drums):
The Northman (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) – Robin Carolan & Sebastian Gainsborough
This soundtrack is heavy, haunting and tribally rhythmic. It accompanies the film perfectly with its expansive primal thumping and eerie nordic orchestral symphonies. It’s monstrous and dark and a long listen but it’s so layered and interesting you feel like you are part of it. This, among many other soundtracks, are my everyday music.
City of Caterpillar – Mystic Sisters
This band has resonated with me for years, and this release has been on rotation since it has come out. Keeping in their tradition of dreamy landscape-y buildups into chaotic explosions of screamy manic episodes, they have managed to keep it fresh and new. Seeing them on this tour and back when they first formed, I would say they have definitely mastered their craft and have only gotten more creative. I love the feeling and the pictures they paint within each song. “DECIDER” is definitely my favorite track.
The Party Dozen – The Real Work
Sax and Drum duo from Australia. Heavy and pulsating, it’s got such a great momentum I can’t stop listening to this release. Second track has guest vocals by NICK CAVE, it’s so great. It’s hard to believe that this sonic thrust of songs can come out of just drums and saxophone. Unique and underrated for sure, I hope they tour soon…
G (vocals):
None. I can’t name a full release I’ve heard from 2022 that’s resonated with me in a significant way. Though somehow I “feel” music more intensely as I grow older, it’s rarely by way of current material, so choosing a 2022 release to praise would be disingenuous of me.
I actively challenge my musical biases as much as I can, and I’d like to believe that the way I perceive and experience music isn’t the total result of living in a nostalgia bubble.
If I could pick a song, it would be “sharp teeth” by Katie Dey. That’s the best I can do.
