Premiere: Sedative call out to the void on debut track, 'Cough Medicine'

Sedative (previously Grenade Brain) invite the void's uncoping hands with their head-caving debut single, 'Cough Medicine.'

The Perth act previously known as Grenade Brain is done for, and in its place stands a new heavy outfit: Sedative. The name change was announced last month with the band sharing about their re-branding: "𝑊𝑒 𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑆𝑒𝑑𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑣𝑒. 𝑊𝑒'𝑣𝑒 𝑐ℎ𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑒𝑑 𝑎 𝑙𝑜𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑦𝑒𝑎𝑟 𝑎𝑛𝑑 ℎ𝑎𝑣𝑒 𝑎 𝑤ℎ𝑜𝑙𝑒 𝑤𝑜𝑟𝑙𝑑 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑔𝑠 𝑡𝑜 𝑠ℎ𝑜𝑤 𝑦𝑜𝑢. 𝑆ℎ𝑜𝑤𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 ℎ𝑎𝑣𝑒 𝑎𝑙𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑑𝑦 𝑎𝑛𝑛𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑐𝑒𝑑 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑝𝑎𝑠𝑡 𝑛𝑎𝑚𝑒 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑖𝑚𝑎𝑔𝑒 𝑤𝑖𝑙𝑙 𝑏𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑙𝑎𝑠𝑡 𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒𝑠 𝑤𝑒 𝑎𝑝𝑝𝑒𝑎𝑟 𝑢𝑛𝑑𝑒𝑟 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑔𝑢𝑖𝑠𝑒. 𝑊𝑒 ℎ𝑜𝑝𝑒 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑠𝑡𝑖𝑐𝑘 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝑢𝑠 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑒𝑛𝑗𝑜𝑦 𝑤ℎ𝑎𝑡'𝑠 𝑡𝑜 𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑒. 𝑃𝑒𝑟𝑡ℎ 𝑀𝑖𝑠𝑒𝑟𝑦."

'Cough Medicine' is some grim, beatdown-loving, slamming metallic hardcore. A sparse, rattling electronic atmosphere creeps in at first, before the vocals and instrumental layers prickle in, the band then switching out that ambient dynamic for a pinching, indomitable deathcore-inflected attack, crushing you over the head with bellowing screams, filthy low-tuned guitars and black-hole-sized breakdowns. Wrapped up in two-and-a-half minutes, this shot goes so hard. This oppressive sound-bed is set to a startling theme exploring what happens when tumultuous emotions and traumatic events aren't coped with or dealt with properly. It's heavy sounds directed by a heavy concept; an invitation for the cold formless void to take you.

[caption id="attachment_1109847" align="aligncenter" width="760"] Sedative, 2021.[/caption]

Vocalist Matthew Daly opened up about Sedative's debut track's idea of failing coping mechanisms, sharing that it's about "...abusing alternate methods of release, to escape the turmoil that one may be dealing with" and "touching on the unfortunate mental state that can be brought on as a result of both the situation to begin with."

Sedative is vocalist Matthew Daly, guitarists Raphael Abadi and André Avila, bassist/vocalist Ryan Spencer and drummer Nathan Wolfenden. This is only the (new) beginning for them, and I'm so interested to hear more from this band. Check out their upcoming WA support slots under Melbourne's Vengeance below, as well as 'Cough Medicine's music video that Matthew and André filmed and directed: