As a fan of heavy music from Minneapolis, I have stumbled across Tongue Party a handful of times, but I always put them on that list all music fans have but never actually get to. Thankfully, the gods of music sent me signs to nudge me toward this record. The first sign came in the form of radio. The Current's The Local Show played the track "This Exists" Sunday night. Its heaviness and frantic nature made me sit in my car to finish it before going into work. The second sign was a podcast called Pod Minutes to Cast Night where one of the guest hosts mentioned that they were going to play a show with Tongue Party later in the week. It was then and there I knew that I needed to listen to this band.
Upon first listen, Tongue Party's debut record Looking For A Painful Death sounds like a musical cousin of the first two Metz records but that comparison lazy and a huge disservice to this band. Their music is noisy, explosive, and just downright aggressive. Tongue Party released two EPs and a split 7-inch that all follow the same format. The tracks are short and to the point. They explode in a manic fit before screeching to a halt.
The bands opening track grabs the listener, but it is the second track "Service Please" that really seals the deal. It opens with the lyric "What can I get for you/I'll rip my fucking eyes out" and if that doesn't paint a vivid picture of working in the service industry, I have no idea what will. "Service Please" is a mix of the band's stoner tendencies and their punk and thrash influences. This song's march cadence would cause even the most uptight concert goer to mosh.
Tongue Party doesn't just stick to playing fast. "Service Please" maybe one of their mid-tempo tracks, but it is not where they draw the line tempo-wise. The next track "Is It Really That Good" is another step in the stoner direction. The riff is sludgy, slow, and slippery but still moves. It feels as if Black Sabbath played "Sweet Leaf" one and a half times faster.
One thing that is integral to Looking For A Painful Death hitting as hard as it does is the bands overall sound. It would be easy to tune the instruments down low, throw a bunch of fuzzy distortion on everything, over compress the drums, and their sound would still work. The layering and blending of instruments are what provides the extra little bit. The drum's punch mixed with the metallic clang of the bass combine to drive most of this record. There is a definition to the bass that makes it a lead instrument. It has a lot of attack to it that guitar lacks. The guitar tone is instead a slurry of fuzz that fills in and thickens.
On a noise punk recording, the vocals are usually treated as a throwaway instrument. They are just there to serve as another texture, and vocal performances are often buried in the mix. Listen to the debut self-titled record from Metz as an example. The vocals are buried in the mix and soaked in effects. Tongue Party's vocals are put front and center in the mix. It even sounds like they double tracked the performances so it feels like the frontman was on either side of your head screaming in your ears.
Looking For A Painful Death has a run time of fewer than 30 minutes, and Tongue Party does not stop for a breather once they get going. The energy is both a blessing and a curse for this record. The non-stop barrage of sound can get tiring at times. A small reprieve would have been nice just so the ear could take a breath before returning to the onslaught. The band does mix downtempo sections into the songs. "Is It Really That Good" has a simplistic intro; "Shit Dead" features minimalistic verse sections that provide a rest before blasting back into frantic riffs.
Overall, Tongue Party's Looking For A Painful Death is a fantastic debut record. Noise-punk mixed with thrash and stoner vibes create a pallet of intense and aggressive tunes. I can't wait to hear what they have next as their sound continues to expand and diversify. You can find a link to their Bandcamp page below. I would highly recommend going and getting their entire discography.
On a noise punk recording, the vocals are usually treated as a throwaway instrument. They are just there to serve as another texture, and vocal performances are often buried in the mix. Listen to the debut self-titled record from Metz as an example. The vocals are buried in the mix and soaked in effects. Tongue Party's vocals are put front and center in the mix. It even sounds like they double tracked the performances so it feels like the frontman was on either side of your head screaming in your ears.
Looking For A Painful Death has a run time of fewer than 30 minutes, and Tongue Party does not stop for a breather once they get going. The energy is both a blessing and a curse for this record. The non-stop barrage of sound can get tiring at times. A small reprieve would have been nice just so the ear could take a breath before returning to the onslaught. The band does mix downtempo sections into the songs. "Is It Really That Good" has a simplistic intro; "Shit Dead" features minimalistic verse sections that provide a rest before blasting back into frantic riffs.
Overall, Tongue Party's Looking For A Painful Death is a fantastic debut record. Noise-punk mixed with thrash and stoner vibes create a pallet of intense and aggressive tunes. I can't wait to hear what they have next as their sound continues to expand and diversify. You can find a link to their Bandcamp page below. I would highly recommend going and getting their entire discography.
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