Angela's Staff Pick: February 9, 2023

Hi Sorry State readers! How’s everyone doing? We’re going through early summer in February over here and I’m not a fan. Other than that, things are pretty decent.

My pick this week is the Nacht und Nebel EP from the Dutch band, Indirekt. It’s my favorite thing I’ve heard from the band. It just hits differently. Start to finish, it meets my personal criteria for a pretty perfect EP. I’d love two more songs, but I still feel really satisfied after a spin. All in all, it’s mid to fast tempo punk with really confident and dynamic vocals.

Nacht und Nebel is the opener and one of my favorite tracks on the record. It’s vying for top spot. There is an absolutely infectious riff that anchors the song. The song opens with that riff and it chugs along throughout the song and speeds up when appropriate. It’s a really straightforward but meaty riff that could work as a jumping off point in a million different songs. You could add some distortion to it and throw it on any L7 record and it wouldn’t sound out of place. I now realize that was a very wordy way to say it’s a great, versatile riff.

The vocals are fantastic on that track and there is an unexpected, very high-pitched scream that could break glass. Or maybe it’s a whistle and I’m totally wrong. I love the way the song picks up a lot of speed and aggression, and then seamlessly returns to the mid-tempo intro it started with. There is also a quick little bass melody at the very end of the track that leaves you wanting more.

On the second track, you do get more. Prose C opens with a much longer and more melodic bass riff. I love a thoughtful transition. The drums lock in perfectly with the bass, which becomes much faster and more intense. It sounds so cool. The vocals oscillate between aggressive and poppy. Trust me, it works. The seamless tempo and style changes are wild on this one. I like this track as much as the first one.

I really can’t get enough of this bass player, and I love how prominent the bass is on most of the tracks. The singer is not messing around on the third track. She comes right out of the gate with anthemic style vocals and plenty of attitude. It feels like she’s right up in your face. Well, my face. I can’t speak for your face. Trust me when I say this record finishes just as strong as it starts. It feels like an understatement to say it’s a solid EP, but all four tracks hold their own. No lulls, no duds, no filler.

I think we’re all digging Indirekt around here. I’m probably the only one hearing them for the first time, but I love that for me. That said, check out Indirekt’s Op Oorlogspad. Jeff crafted a nice lil’ write-up on that record last week.

Couldn’t find them on Bandcamp, but there’s a link to the EP on YouTube below.

Thanks for reading!

Until next time,

Angela

https://youtu.be/yTzgEybR1xw


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