This came out back in February, but the band just sent it to me a couple of weeks ago — and I finally listened to it this morning. Then I listened to it again. And again. I won’t be listening to anything else for the next little while. Because this is easily one of the most exciting, dynamic and original albums I’ve heard this year. I suspect you’ll feel the same — unless you happen to hear a lot of albums that blend everything from spiky garage-rock and throat-shredding post-hardcore to post-bop jazz, electronica and more into two-minute nuggets of undiluted, high-voltage genius. Yeah, didn’t think so. I don’t want to spoil it any more than that, so I’ll shut up now. Drop everything, push play and hear your new favourite album.
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Perennial are an art-punk three-piece from New England. Featuring Chelsey Hahn on electric organ, Chad Jewett on guitar and Wil Mulhern on drums, the band’s sound is a kinetic collage of ’60s soul, post-bop jazz, ’90s post-hardcore and British Invasion garage rock. Their live sets are quick, sharp, and ferocious — 20-minute bursts of energy, with all three members in constant, whirling motion.
“Our goal for In The Midnight Hour was to make a bright, loud, impressionistic collage,” Hahn says. “Along with our producer Chris Teti (The World Is A Beautiful Place & I Am No Longer Afraid To Die), we tried our best to craft something that would surprise with each listen, a post-hardcore headphone album.”
All I can add to that is: Mission fucking accomplished.
