Review: Priors Break-In 2021 With My Punishment on Earth
If you’re a fan of the Montreal rock n’ roll outfit Priors, you may have been wondering if they were ever going to fulfill their promise of a third release before the close of 2020. Luckily for all of us, they stayed true to their word and saved the New Year with a 10-song LP titled My Punishment on Earth.
The album leans heavily into synth sounds and channels a raw, pent-up energy that feels fitting after a seemingly stagnant year spent in isolation. “Astral” is an especially propulsive track that will have you bouncing off the walls with its avalanche of thumping drums and a driving chorus that exponentially builds up until the end - peak avalanche. The other stand-out track is “Fox Force Five,” which features a downright menacing guitar riff - and is accompanied by an appropriately murderous music video, to boot.
As is characteristic of their music, Priors’ My Punishment on Earth is a taut listening experience - and with its clocking in at just over 26 minutes, you’ve got to be committed to the intensity. However, there’s a contemplative air instilled among the controlled chaos. The opener is a punchy psychedelic number alternating between a relentless bass hook and blasts of distortion. A meandering guitar threading its way throughout makes the songs feel unexpectedly experimental, while the lyrics are suitably doom and gloom, taking you on a deep-dive into the sinister subconscious milieu.
A few of the tracks are recognizable from pre-pandemic sets, but are now presented in a more polished digitized form. It’s a matter of personal preference whether you like the clean cut versions over the raw sound of a show, but there’s no arguing that the blend of guttural garage punk with an electronic edge has been a core element of the band’s sound since the start - and it works effortlessly here.
Most of all, this LP makes me miss rubbing shoulders with fellow dive bar aficionados. Here’s hoping for that day to come soon. You can find both digital and vinyl versions of the album on Bandcamp.
Priors are Chance Hutchison, Stuart Buckley, Alan Hildebrandt, Drew Demers, Seb Godin, and Maxime Desharnais.
Priors
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Written by Alex Kerkhoff