Black Button

Reviews

Black Button Internal Life 12″

Here is a band that knows how to break the molds of its genre. Their previous release Rejoice really nailed the strange hardcore sound of bands like NO TREND and mixed it up with “drunken late-night loneliness” noise rock á la JESUS LIZARD or BRAINBOMBS. The new EP Internal Life seems more urgent and anxious, whereas the previous one was more contained and focused on creating an aural picture of malaise. Opener “Feed” slowly builds up into a frenzy of skank beats and angry verses, moving away from the tension-building modus operandi and moving closer to their first album I Want to Be in Control. Standout track “Better To Wait” could easily be in the same universe as RASPBERRY BULBS due to its darker, off-putting riffage. A more diverse release in terms of malleability within the hardcore genre and a step towards its roots.

Black Button Rejoice LP

Filthy bummer-punk from this Richmond band, for fans of NO TREND and FLIPPER. Caustic guitars carry misanthropic vocals, some shouted, some long-form spoken word. Songs like “Again and Again” and “Forever in Time” have simple guitar and bass interplay that dirge into the ground before speeding to hardcore tempos. Several lyrical diatribes concern a complicated relationship with religion and faith. “Testimony” is a self-aware examination of a person’s experience with Christianity that leaves them with more questions than answers: “The Lord is my shepherd / But all sheep will meet the executioner’s hand / We are sinners in the hands of a vengeful, angry, and distrustful God / And to live a good life / We must recognize the consequences of each action we take.” The theme returns several times throughout the record, adding heft to the Rejoice title. Gnarled, introspective noise for desolation punks.

Black Button I Want to Be in Control cassette

BLACK BUTTON really caught my attention last year with their short demo tape, so I was pretty psyched when I saw this release pop up. As I had hoped, it’s a hell of a ride. This formidable Richmond act plays intense, jazzy, angular, and cerebral lo-fi hardcore that creates a dense, disturbing, dystopian-like atmosphere to pull the listener in. The music is equal parts groovy and gripping, aided by a desperate, tortured, and venomous vocal performance spitting thought-provoking spoken word on top. Every once in a while everything seems to just fall apart, adding a dimension of No Wave clamor to the sound. I just can’t decide which version of the band’s self-titled “theme song” I prefer—the haunting live arthouse version on the demo or the tightly-wound, homicidal-horn-laced chaos found here. They’re both great, and so are the rest of these unique tunes. I’m pulling out the big B-word on this one—brilliant stuff. Don’t sleep on it.