Over the last few years, it has been clear that many bands are looking to the past for inspiration. Of course, no band really wants to make regressive music, but some musical sub-genres are feeling more cyclical than ever before. Scene revivals are cropping up all the time, and some are clearly becoming stale before you can blink. One that seems to be carrying a greater weight than most, is the recent surge of bands drawing from a classic post-punk sound. While most are pretty good, it takes a lot for a band to stand out and make you think they are great. Thankfully, New Orleans natives, Heat Dust, do exactly that.
Having signed to The Flenser, they probably seem strange bedfellows next to the bands that call the label home – Such as the quasi-black metal of Mastery and Bosse-De-Nage, and monolithic doom inspired bands – King Woman and Black Wing (just to name a few). However, Heat Dust have used everything at their disposal to ensure their self-titled debut LP is a powerful, urgent statement; filled with melancholy, and despair.
On the disjointed opening of the despondent ‘Nothing Left To Lose’, Heat Dust waste no time in making you feel uneasy. The looming bass line pulsates through the songs core, and the eerie echo that is placed on the vocals adds a beautifully haunting vibe. In a bid to remain as unrelenting as possible, the buzzsaw guitars that drive the death-rock inspired ‘(Hopefully) Alone’ collide into one another; creating a dense wall of distortion. The production is always key to this style of music, and the right balance has been found by the band. It is bold in the right places, while raw and unhinged in others. It feels like it was recorded over 30 years ago, but still feels current.
The tracks pour out thick and fast as the album unfolds. The bass-heavy ‘Seeking A Praxis’ thunders along for little over two minutes, and the furious ‘The Desire Of Language’ pummels you in the same way Killing Joke do at their most visceral. While the overall mood of the album is sullen, it is sometimes contrasted by uplifting progressions. The narrative of ‘Anybody’ may be apathetic, but the music swells with an air of brightness on occasion – similar to that of New Order’s early material.
Heat Dust have made little effort to hide their influences, and they shouldn’t have to. Even though you can hear shades of Joy Division throughout the album, and an unsubtle nod towards The Cure on ‘Do You Think About it?’, it is far more than just a nostalgia trip. They haven’t ripped off anyone, either; remaining original throughout. Almost as though they have given post-punk a new breath of life.
The unsettling, bleak overtone of the album will not make it an easy listen for just anyone. However, those who find solace in the darker side of life, it will be the perfect record in which you could completely lose yourself. For a debut album, Heat Dust have created something that not only rivals their peers, but stands up against many of the genre’s iconic releases.
GLEN BUSHELL