Variant, the new album from Boston post-punk band Trailer Swift, was recently released via Mint 400 Records.
Following on the heels of the band’s 2020 EP, You Are Not What You Do – Variant was recorded at New Alliance in Somerville, Massachusetts with Ethan Dussault and mastered by Nick Zampiello.
Trailer Swift comprises Michael Crockett (vocals, guitar), Mike Irwin (lead guitar), James Delahanty (bass), and Marc Beaulieu (drums). While their sound conjures up suggestions of Breaking Benjamin and Kings of Leon.
Encompassing seven tracks, the album begins with the title track, opening on oscillating tones, followed by a soft, dreamy voice, imbuing the tune with mystical savors.
Entry points include “Cross My Heart,” with its grungy guitars and ebbing and rising harmonics. There’s an angular, edgy quality to the song, infusing it with both visceral tangs and filaments of elegance. Crockett’s hoarse vocals give the lyrics delicious pressure.
A personal favorite because of its thick clotted guitars and pushing motion, “Running Behind” grinds and growls with visceral washes, accented by heavy percussion and cutting guitar licks. An oblique time signature gives “Losing Grip” an uncooked cadence as grimy guitars travel overhead, at once dark and dripping with dirty tinctures.
“Disintegrate” features slightly discordant guitars, initially gentle and almost sparkling. Then the harmonics ramp up, injecting the tune with dense, gritty layers. Vaguely reminiscent of Foo Fighters, the track shifts and swells with viscous resonance.
The final track, “Way Out,” blends the down-tuned, deep colors of doom with compact alt-rock surfaces, delivering dominating, choleric textures.
Simultaneously gnarly and seething with potent dynamics, with Variant, Trailer Swift demonstrates their superb talent for quaking post-punk.
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