Me Here – You There swings into the room with the force of a dump truck suffering from failed air brakes.
With a tenderly crafted sound of distorted guitars, raw drums, and well-balanced vocals, the recording lures the listener into the basements and backyards where this art form thrives.
The split release, shared by Austin, Texas-based hardcore band Rose Ceremony and fellow Lone Star State outfit Always Sunny, marks another solid contribution to the ongoing resurgence of this punk-centered tradition of aggressive music.
Mastered by Will Killingsworth at Dead Air Studios, the recording joins an influential list of projects tied to a pillar of the community.
Unleashed in September, and less than a quarter of an hour in length, the four-track recording is split evenly between the two groups.
It begins with Rose Ceremony’s “Snowfall,” which propels the recording with a stream of guitar feedback and a groove-centered bass line that is quickly accompanied by the entire group.
The piece has the power of a hardcore standard embellished with the energy of youth.
It is centered on two grooves that exemplify the group’s ability to inspire slam dancing at any creative cooperative or local union hall.
“Snowfall” stands as a strong commencement to the intensity and density the recording conveys.
The onslaught continues immediately with a full-band start on “Left This Earth.”
This piece offers insight into the genre’s ability to serve as a concise assemblage of the whole of aggressive music.
There are hints of traditional black metal, and the more contemporary post-metal in this piece that reflects an agonizing march.
It culminates in a punk-rock ending that serves as a reminder to the listener of this group’s true spirit.
Always Sunny rounds out the second half of the recording with the group’s unique take on the more erratic form of the tradition—skramz. An ode to the origins of what inspired the popular screamo of the early 2000s, the subgenre’s unique characteristics of non-traditional song structure are evident in Always Sunny’s performance.
“Blame Me!” begins with a storm of guitar and singer Daniel Cza’s heart-wrenching screams.
The song highlights the group’s more emo-centered approach in comparison to their peers.
Guitars are less distorted and have a more reverberated sound that fills each song’s overall mix with additional layers of texture, while the raw drum recordings remind the listener of the DIY ethos that both these groups embed themselves within.
“Her Ghost Lingers” closes out the recording, starting with a brief introduction—a chorus of perfectly out-of-tune voices that serves as a foreground for the group’s perturbed aesthetic.
Then comes a transition to a classic guitar riff that emphasizes the group’s revival of the traditional customs of the form.
It leads the song to an arthouse-inspired combination of the first two ideas presented in the composition, which then elevates the song to a climactic end that evokes a sense of true desperation.
Me Here – You There is a flag in the ground for Rose Ceremony and Always Sunny.
The recording serves as evidence that, in new hands, these specific practices of aggressive music are far from extinct.
It makes clear that the willingness of newcomers to blend traditions and otherwise independent forms brings about new and enriching work that will, in turn, give back in the years to come.
