MISSOURI EXECUTIVE ORDER 44 - "The Unbuckling"

MISSOURI EXECUTIVE ORDER 44: Kansas City freedom fighters deliver blistering "Great Plains Hardcore" by way of Mormon gimmickry; new track "The Unbuckling" streaming now

"The Unbuckling," the new single from Missouri Executive Order 44, is now streaming.

New album Salt Sermon will be released August 16th on Learning Curve Records and The Ghost Is Clear Records.

Stream the track, here: https://meo44.bandcamp.com/track/the-unbuckling

Pre-order the album, here: https://lcrdistro.com/products/salt-sermons-lp-meo-44

Based in Kansas City, Missouri Executive Order 44 takes its name from a dark chapter of its state's history: an 1838 order from the state's governor, encouraging the banishment or extermination of all Mormons. Clad in the bike helmets and white shirts that commonly signify LDS evangelists, the four aliased members of MEO44 – vocalist Jarom Johnson, guitarist Elos Olsen, bassist Esau Fullmer, and drummer Malachi Hatch – use that specific historical moment as their rallying cry as they blast out blistering hardcore anthems in opposition to all forms of persecution. While a majority of bands in the scene take a stance against organized religion, the band flips the script and claims allegiance with the Saints of the 1830s, holding them up as victims of the state's tyranny.

Johnson states: “Missouri Executive Order 44 is a reminder that we, as decent human beings, need to stand together in communities and collectives to overthrow tyrannical authority and prevent the impending destruction of our autonomy by the bigoted forces of the state, police, and fascists. The story of our Mormon ascendants is cautionary but also too familiar to the experiences of our brothers and sisters. The state can and will oppress those it deems 'other' or 'less than' and our message is one of retribution, anti-colonialism, anti-state and pro-humanity."

Recorded and mixed by Matt Perrin (ex-Bummer) and mastered by Will Killingsworth (Orchid, The Body), Salt Sermon clocks in at just fifteen minutes. From sasscore twang to blackened noisecore, the album drives forward darkly, relentlessly, with Johnson holding court like a manic preacher. Reference points might include Cursed, Coalesce, The Locust, and Heavy Heavy Low Low. Olsen calls it, simply, "Great Plains Hardcore... like the sporadic chaos of a herd of steer left to stampede across an empty prairie."

A 2023 article in local Kansas City paper The Pitch puts it like this: "Dressed in the iconic dark slacks and white shirts of door-to-door evangelists, the 'bike-helmet hardcore' band Missouri Executive Order 44 is taking a new look at Missouri’s history and identity... They never break character, but MEO44’s Mormon themes and appearance are more than just a schtick. Rather, the performance is a medium through which the group is able to share deeply held principles—beliefs that extend far beyond the boundaries of LDS church history and doctrine."

Upcoming shows:
Aug 16 - Kansas City, MO @ Howdy (w/ Yatsu, Gash)
Aug 23 - Colorado Springs, CO @ What’s Left Records
Aug 24-25 - Denver, CO @ Ghost Canyon Fest (w/ Young Widows, Wolf Eyes)

More info: https://thechainworld.blogspot.com/2024/06/missouri-executive-order-44-salt-sermon.html

Photo by Raney Yelenich

SCRUNCHIES - "High Pile"

SCRUNCHIES: Minneapolis punks drop new single "High Pile"; music video streaming now; new US tourdates announced

"High Pile," the new single by Minneapolis punks Scrunchies, is streaming now.

The song appears on the trio's forthcoming album, Colossal, out August 23rd on Learning Curve Records.

Stream the "High Pile" music video, created by Scrunchies vocalist/guitarist Laura Larson, here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UUJXjXt26LQ

Pre-order Colossal, here: https://lcrdistro.com/products/scrunchies-colossal-copy

Scrunchies' Laura Larson describes the new single: "'High Pile' is a mourning song. It's a reflection on the specter of the world ending that follows us throughout our lifetimes. Climate and human injustices, excused by greed and religion and pardoned by apathy."

On Colossal, Scrunchies deliver post-riot grrrl songcraft that lands in the same garage as Mannequin Pussy, Screaming Females, and Sleater-Kinney. The album was recorded and mixed by Steve Albini at Electrical Audio in Chicago – one of the final works created by Albini before his death this year. The recording features the very same Veleno guitar that was used in the recording of Nirvana's In Utero. Colossal is an "AAA" production – recorded, mixed, and mastered entirely with analog gear and tape. Mastering was handled by Greg Obis (Deeper, Dehd).

In a new feature this week celebrating "The New Faces & Voices in the Minneapolis Punk Scene," Bandcamp Daily hails Scrunchies' music as "songs that channel grunge, art rock, and post-punk... raw rock ‘n’ roll with a distinct pop influence."

While Scrunchies are being hailed as "new faces," the members have been entrenched in Minneapolis' thriving DIY scene for decades. Notably, Larson was a member of Kitten Forever, the long-running Minneapolis band with releases on Atlas Chair, the label founded by JD Samson (Le Tigre). 

Scrunchies will embark on a US tour in late summer:

Aug 31 - Chicago, IL @ Liar's Club
Sep 1 - Cincinnati, OH @ MOTR Pub
Sep 2 - Dayton, OH @ Blind Rage Records
Sep 3 - Pittsburgh, PA @ Mr. Roboto Project
Sep 4 - Brooklyn, NY @ Baby's All Right
Sep 5 - Washington, DC @ Slash Run
Sep 6 - Philadelphia, PA @ God's Auto Body
Sep 7 - Richmond, VA @ Garden Grove
Sep 8 - Asheville, NC @ 27 Club
Sep 9 - Louisville, KY @ Portal
Sep 10 - Memphis, TN @ Hi Tone
Sep 11 - St Louis, MO @ Sink Hole
Sep 12 - Kansas City, MO @ Howdy
Sep 20 - Madison, WI @ Gamma Ray

More info: https://thechainworld.blogspot.com/2024/06/scrunchies-colossal.html

Photo by Jack Buckholz

Out today: BLIND GIRLS - An Exit Exists

An Exit Exists, the new album by Blind Girls, is out today on Persistent Vision Records (with an exclusive vinyl variant out on Touché Amoré frontman Jeremy Bolm's label, Secret Voice).

From the beaches of Gold Coast, Australia, the quintet delivers dark, chaotic, cathartic hardcore that goes for the throat. Call it hardcore, call it screamo, call it emoviolence... The music is nonstop intensity and vocalist Sharni Brouwer's screams are quite literally hair-raising as she processes emotions from abusive relationships through the songs. 

She states: "An Exit Exists was written during and after two separate instances dealing with abuse from those I loved. Each song is a reflection on the emotions and process I went through, from realization, feeling trapped, guilt, defeat, acceptance, and eventually finding a safe way out."

A US tour kicks off tonight in Seattle. The coast-to-coast, month-long run sees the band play shows with Frail Body, Great Falls, Heavenly Blue, NØ MAN, Pageninetynine, Quiet Fear, Lagrimas, Raein, and more.

Buy the album, here: https://persistentvisionrecords.com/products/blind-girls-an-exit-exists-lp

More info: https://thechainworld.blogspot.com/2024/06/blind-girls-exit-exists.html

"A flurry of harsh guitars, frenzied drumming, and eviscerating vocals... An Exit Exists is heavy in every sense of the word, but it’s the emotional weight the record carries that proves to be its heaviest element."
–Boolin Tunes

"Pure screamo fury with some Botch-like mathcore in the mix to make things even more chaotic. It’s a real headache-inducer (in the best way), and the despair in Sharni Brouwer’s piercing screams is entirely palpable."
–BrooklynVegan

"'An Exit Exists' is honed to a sharp point, the songs being delivered in short, chaotic bursts punctuated by vocalist Sharni Brouwer’s emotive shrieks. Blind Girls fit into the screamo categorization but there are no weak emo moments or unwelcome twinkle parts. 'An Exit Exists' has more in common with Botch or Orchid’s 'Dance Tonight! Revolution Tomorrow!' than anything else—it’s abrasive, at times technical, fast and often discordant, filled with blast beats, panic chords and breakdowns (musical and emotional)."
–Decibel

"The Gold Coast, Australia skramz outfit return with their third full-length album, An Exit Exists with razor sharp focus and a more expansive sound. This album places them in an upper echelon of the genre and makes a solid argument for the state of skramz in 2024."

–Everything Is Noise

"Despite all the chaos, 'An Exit Exists' is a dynamic hardcore record that vividly depicts every emotion that comes with enduring abuse."
–Ghost Cult

"Hailing from the sun-kissed shores of Gold Coast, Australia, this quintet unleashes a storm of dark, chaotic, and cathartic hardcore. Their sound, a relentless barrage of intensity, is accentuated by Sharni Brouwer’s visceral screams, which channel the raw emotions of her experiences with abusive relationships."
–Idioteq

"Earlier this month, Blind Girls released their incredible and devastating new LP 'An Exit Exists,' one of our favorite albums of the year so far. With this record, the band from Gold Coast, Australia – fronted by the tenacious lead singer/screamer Sharni Brouwer – have cemented themselves as one of the very best screamo bands in the world."

–Impose

"There is a horrifying, agonizing quality to Sharni Brouwer's vocals on this record that makes the category of screamo a clear understatement. For Australian unit Blind Girls, their latest is a dissonant downward spiral, countered by fits of feral attack that play out like someone fighting for their lives."

–Knotfest

"Screamo time: new Blind Girls single goes crazy."
–Mathcore Index

"The hairs on my arm stood up, from the first scream... It's extremely cathartic. It's an album that's as much about being intense musically as it is emotionally."
–Metal Epidemic

"They have a very metallic component to their version of skramz and all their music has a ton, just an absolute ton, of riffs."

–Metal on Metal Podcast

"Blind Girls play a version of screamo that is chaotic, forceful, and gets to the point. On their new album, 'An Exit Exists,' they go for the throat, with each song being a detonation of sound. They have no time for middling instrumentals or ridiculous singing. They get in, hit hard, and then get out... They make each second count."

–New Noise

"Aussie screamo sensation Blind Girls are roaring back with a brand new record."
–Pitch of Discontent

"On an emotional level alone, this is a devastating ride. Blind Girls travel from the erratic and maniacal to the somber and introspective... An impressive, highly dense distillation of screamo music for our times."

–PopMatters

"An Exit Exists is a whirling, 21-minute cyclone of raw emotion and sonic hostility."
–Sense Music Media

"Convulsive screamo... about wishing that someone in your life would swallow a live grenade — or, at least, that’s how it sounds to me."

–Stereogum