Spotlighting three new releases from New Brunswick artists. This week we look at new music from Elevate The Virus, aftr mrkt and The Gregories.
Matt Carter
Elevate The Virus – Derelict
Saint John experimental metal band Elevate The Virus follow-up their 2015 debut EP with their first full-length recording. Derelict is predictably heavy and full of unexpected changes in tempo and rhythm. While the band stay true to straight ahead give’r-riffs through most of the recording – guided by some incredibly tight, driving guitar themes – they do break form on occasion with tracks like Lost Youth and Jack in the Box helping to add a bit of colour and variety to the album’s overall vibe. Whether or not metal is your thing, there’s no denying the strength of this album. A great full-length debut.
aftr mrkt – The Vibrant Disconnect
The liner notes for this recording describe it as being “a fever dream of an album”, and I’d have to agree. That’s a great way to define this collection with all its various states of comfort and discontent. For this project, Saint John producer aftr mrkt has pulled together a lot of ideas and vignettes (the longest track is just under three minutes) to create a nine track sound collage with no real beginning or end. Each composition builds and quickly dissolves into the next group of ideas. With that in mind, The Vibrant Disconnect is a fitting title for the album. While it may fall short as a cohesive collection, the album presents a wealth of textures and ideas well worth exploring.
The Gregories – Offal Truth
Ok. Here’s something to be excited about. The debut album from Moncton quartet, The Gregories. Channeling all the hooks and momentum of 80’s UK pop without all those layers of foggy reverb, The Gregories deliver clean, catchy, fun pop/rock with guitars and keyboards driving each of this album’s eight tracks forward with intent, backed by a focused and precise rhythm section. A refreshing and oddly nostalgic listen. I can already tell I’ll be coming back to this one a lot in the weeks and months to come. What a great surprise!
If you have new music on the way and would like to be considered for a future edition of Midweek Music Mix, send us the details at gridcitymagazine(at)gmail.com
