Usman's Staff Pick: March 18, 2024

https://flowernewyorkcity.bandcamp.com/album/heel-of-the-next-physical-god

Hello and thanks for reading. A friend of mine recently sent me a copy of the new FLOWER 7” and I’ve been listening to it a lot. This record only features one track on each side. Usually I would talk shit on a record with such few songs, but instead I am a huge fan of this release. Even though it’s only two songs, the duration of this 7" is still about eight and a half minutes. I think I would also usually find songs that are so long to be boring, but in this case I find the two tracks to be super captivating. I heard FLOWER with their debut release on Profane Existence. They played our house spot a while before that LP came out, but I was wasted, and their sound didn’t really stick in my head. On their LP, I heard an obvious nod to NAUSEA, amongst some anarcho-type riffs. The artwork had a total RUDIMENTARY PENI vibe, down to the foldout poster sleeve. I liked the LP, but I really like the EP. The recording sounds much more clear and powerful on the LP, but I find the song-writing itself to be more powerful on the 7". I feel like they really locked the sound in more on this release, and the packaging is simply amazing. I also want to mention how much I like the lyrics. They are political but worded in such a clever way. They are a serious highlight for me on the release. I love the back-and-forth bits on the vocals too. It makes the choruses even more memorable. With the packaging, it’s the same Crass Records foldout poster style as the LP. Even though they were working with less space this time with the 7" format, I feel like they really did more with it. It takes so much time and dedication to pull off this type of layout, and they executed it perfectly. Probably everyone sees FLOWER artwork and thinks Nick Blinko, right? Even though it’s so on the nose, I find there is originality to it. On the 7" especially, there are so many layers, dimensions, and messages. It is such an adventure to take it in. I really appreciate how the lyrics are incorporated into the art. You have to really engage with the record to fully take in. I know not every band has the ability to go all-out with art like this, but man I can say how much I appreciate it when they do. This record is a cooperative release between Fight For Your Mind (France) and a brand-new label called Peace Of Mind. I am pretty sure that label is operated by a member of FLOWER and a close friend of the band. I don’t think this record is actually available in the US yet, but I am sure we will get copies in due time. Alright I think that about sums it up for this week. Thanks for reading and thanks to everyone for your support!


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