The Distance – The Wound
Release Date: 30th January 2024
Label: Sliptrick Records
Bandcamp
Genre: Post-Hardcore
FFO: Fugazi, The Van Pelt.
Review By: Andy Spoon
Spanish post-hardcore outfit The Distance is set to release their forthcoming LP The Wound on Sliptrick records on January 30th, 2024. With ruggedly-emphatic vocals that are on-point for true hardcore fans, instruments that have a true raw flavor, and a recording style that emphasizes the intimacy of the atmosphere, The Wound is an album that tickles the brain and will absolutely find a place in the hearts of post-hardcore fans as well as eclectic music entrepreneurs.
One of my favorite things to emphasize on the album is the clean guitars and chord structure that comes through on the recording, which is certainly somewhere in the pseudo lo-fi spectrum of mixing and mastering, something that I think was done on purpose. There is an obvious “raw” nature to the presentation and soundstage, which is welcome, given the style and atmosphere. The recording sounds washy, even flat at times. While I might make that sound as if I didn’t care for it, I mean quite the opposite. The “garage band” feel to the album is ever-present, making an atmosphere that is truly evident of a “Being there with the band” element that works so well with the post-hardcore environment.
While M.E. listeners are perhaps not always going to want to check out bands which don’t live under the formal “metal” umbrella, so to speak, there are elements to the post-hardcore genre (just as there are in indie, folk, and even forms of hip hop) that are indicative of the same things that make us love metal music, such as intensity, depth, or complexity and raw ugliness. The Wound is absolutely an album which produces much of the same feel and tone which metal fans could appreciate – desperation, intensity, even sometimes furious repetition.
One band I could liken this project to is The Van Pelt, a now-defunct project out of New York from the 1990s, who embodied some of the exact same motifs and elements, especially the guitar sections. I was impressed with the guitar recordings and riffs, as they seemed unpolished, even slightly out of time or tune on some level, almost as if it was recorded live, lending to the feel of the tracks. As a pseudo-audiophile, the way that the guitars come through was mesmerizing, as I enjoyed the stereo mixing right out of the guitar amps (if that’s what the recording came from). I could absolutely imagine putting The Wound on my turntable and just sitting down on my couch with a beer for an extended-listen. The Van Pelt, if they were an influence, came through in droves.
If you are a metal fan who wants to branch out in the musical genres to expand your horizons, or if you have an eclectic taste, I think that The Distance is a great place to look. Post-hardcore music might not be everyone’s cup of tea, as it is generally an offshoot of the punk movement, which may not resonate with many metal listeners, but The Wound has substantive material that absolutely reaches to the heart of the metal experience in raw-ness, excited and heavy subject-matter, and an engaging listening experience. As far as a post-hardcore project, it’s extremely-good. As metal blog readers, I think that its effect is such that seekers of quality “heavy” material might still find substantial value and merit in its presentation.
(3.5 / 5)
