This self-titled debut LP from Open City finds the four-piece bringing together their collective decades of punk experience to make a dense and ever-morphing set of songs. Featuring members who cut their teeth with genre mainstays like Ceremony and Lifetime, Open City dive into new aggressive territory that is simultaneously a tip of the hat to its members' previous work.
Tearing out of the gates with opener "Hell Hath No Fury," the unit waste absolutely no time getting to the point; pissed off and relentless for the entirety of its two minutes, it showcases the utter fury of vocalist Rachel Rubino, whose lyrics across the ten song set act as rallying cries, challenging institutions and casting a critical spotlight on a number of injustices and painfully relevant social issues.
Songs like "Black Veil" and "For Shame" take a detour, incorporating melodic breaks into the turmoil and shifting to dreary sounds and slower tempos that add depth to the overall sound. They remain strongest, however, when snapping back into uptempo blasts like "On the Spit" and "Nerve Center," the former dipping into almost Converge-esque territory in the verses.
Open City have collected a set of songs that successfully showcase their versatility as a unit and make for a strong first release.
(Independent)Tearing out of the gates with opener "Hell Hath No Fury," the unit waste absolutely no time getting to the point; pissed off and relentless for the entirety of its two minutes, it showcases the utter fury of vocalist Rachel Rubino, whose lyrics across the ten song set act as rallying cries, challenging institutions and casting a critical spotlight on a number of injustices and painfully relevant social issues.
Songs like "Black Veil" and "For Shame" take a detour, incorporating melodic breaks into the turmoil and shifting to dreary sounds and slower tempos that add depth to the overall sound. They remain strongest, however, when snapping back into uptempo blasts like "On the Spit" and "Nerve Center," the former dipping into almost Converge-esque territory in the verses.
Open City have collected a set of songs that successfully showcase their versatility as a unit and make for a strong first release.