Fashion Week

Prêt-á-Porter

Written by: PP on 09/06/2015 20:22:02

Hailing from New York City, Fashion Week play an experimental brand of post-hardcore that alternates between chaotic screamo, desolate noise with blackened elements, and Fugazi style indie-flavored hardcore often within the same song. The band's key quality is their discordant, dissonance-laden guitar experimentation, that is best visible during "Chorusace" where it paints pictures of barren, unfriendly landscapes while giving plenty of reason to bang your head riffage wise.

On "Prêt-á-Porter", the band's take on experimental hardcore most resembles The Chariot, if they were put through the filter of Throatruiner Records signing book. "Meek Is Miznabble", for instance, is about as raw as it comes, featuring menacing screaming and growling that would pierce the eardrums of most listeners unaccustomed to experimental hardcore like this. Yet there are moments of haunting beauty found within when the melancholic semi-clean vocal passages arrive in perfect symmetry to Norma Jean releases pre-"Redeemer" era. The screams are distorted and gurgled to the point of being unlistenable, though, which sets these two bands apart and ultimately explains why Fashion Week is a tiny band and Norma Jean do international headlining tours at bigger clubs these days. Moreover, the devastating vocal approach isn't always as interesting as it should be, often lacking in character which is replaced by sheer fury and aggressive delivery instead. It's clear that whenever they tone it down a bit and scream in a decipherable manner, or better yet, add in the haunting cleans as a contrast, their expression is at its very best. The songwriting needs a little more work, still, but there are ideas being thrown around that could very well work wonders especially in a live environment. "Summer Line", for instance, is a nearly six minute mammoth that explores the quiet/loud dynamic to its full, here again toying with Fugazi elements in the middle of the Norma Jean/The Chariot style destruction and discordance.

Overall though, the album is a challenging listen but isn't without it's rewards once it begins opening up to its listener. The problem is, we're still rather far from a "Redeemer" or a "Long Live". It's a decent example of experimental hardcore, however.

6

Download: Chorusace, Summer Line
For the fans of: The Chariot, Norma Jean,
Listen: Facebook

Release date 23.02.2015
Solar Flare Records

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