The second full-length collaboration between drummer Joel Myers and singer/guitarist James Ardery, Service Industry is an agonizingly tense post-punk epic in the vein of Liars and Protomartyr. Myers background in classical music lies in constant tension with Ardery’s punk-rap tendancies to create an album oscillating between extreme strain and intense release. Songs tend to have tight, vocal-heavy intros followed by explosion of instrumentation. Monotonous, haunting vocals combat slick guitar work and wild drumming. Some seriously experimental tracks mix in with more traditional rock songs.

RIYL: Protomartyr, Total Control, Liars, Sonic Youth, Parquet Courts
FCCs: Track 3
Favorite Tracks: 1, 2, 5, 6

1. (2:58) Low Hanging Fruit* - Creepy vocals, monotone crooning, sinister but catchy guitars, slamming drumming
2. (2:55) Bleach* - Wistful synths, wandering lead guitar, building tension until explosion at 1:40
3. (4:54) Auction FCC (f*ck) - Awesome track, great explosive end, haunting lyrics
4. (5:19) Rub Your Eyes - Twangy, slower track until drum’s break in at 3:00, military esque drum repetition, Haunting vocal close, distant, warm synths
5. (3:59) You Only Have* - Distorted conversational lyrics, increasingly dissonant instrumentation. Song explodes at 3:00. Exhilarating, thundering drum rolls, explosive symbol crashes, distorted screams. Heavy but also amazingly cathartic
6. (4:40) Check** - Repetitive vocal mantra, eclectic drums, increasingly frenetic instrumentation overwhelmingly grows in background
7. (3:07) Circus - Squeeling horn intro, swaggering hypnotic vocal guitar combination, wild horns at 2 minutes
8. (3:28) Hyperaware - Mournful layered vocal, wistful guitar, droning noise closes
9. (4:46) Grey Tiles - Warm, peaceful synths and lyrics, purposeful drumming carries song along, wandering guitar
10. (6:45) Shed Weight - Neat looping synth section, growing cacophony of symbols, synths, chords, Grungy guitars grind in at 5:00 for epic close