Lower Automation are one of the best new bands in the math and noise-rock realm. Songs like 'Vegan Neuroscientist' showcase this; releases like their fast incoming debut album are proof of it.
This coming Monday, July 12th, Chicago noise-punks Lower Automation will release their debut self-titled album via Zegema Beach Records. It's a wild, weird and off-the-cut ten-track album that blends math-rock, plenty of punk, and a healthy amount of post-hardcore into a chaotic and noisy hurricane. Lying somewhere between the likes of Fall Of Troy, Jesus Lizard, Dillinger Escape Plan, and At The Drive-In. For just three people, this band makes a fucking killer racket. In so many words, it's a really cool record, and one that takes the next step from where the trio was at on their previous EP, 2018's mighty solid 'Shoebox Companion.' (Which features their best song, 'Tethered.'
"In August of 2020, we spent 5 days recording the album ourselves in a cabin in the middle of nowhere in Michigan," collectively says the U.S. band of this new LP. "It was hot and claustrophobic, perfect for an album that sounds like a panic attack."
That "panic attack" description is honestly so perfect for how Lower Automation sound, especially on the darker but no less tension-heavy 'Vegan Neuroscientist', a track about the ethical and moral lines someone might cross all in the search of knowledge.
After two awesome previous singles in June, the frantic timings of 'Combover' and the hyper-active 'Old Sparky', the three-piece once again pull listeners in all manner of directions with this new single. What with a rather moody intro, strong use of off-kilter skittish riffs, melodic and sharp vocals, fluctuating dynamics and pauses, and groovy but jagged drum patterns, all of which threads a tight needle between palatability and technicality. The varying sections of 'Vegan Neuroscientist' flow together seamlessly, keeping you on your toes, and when the band break it all down at the end, with all of their many dissonances, it's hard to rip it from your mind.
Lower Automation are seriously one of the freshest newer acts in this scene of mathy, punky, noise-fueled rock. Hopefully, they prove that to you with this song, which I'm stoked to be premiering:
