II
Brokers Tip, 2020
9/10
There’s a long list of very influential post-punk outfits from Baltimore, and the trio of Quattracenta are certainly steering that direction, too, as this 2nd album is full of captivating art-rock and no wave influences where the always impressive J. Robbins (Jawbox, Government Issue, Burning Airlines) produced and mixed the effort.
“It Gave Away” starts the listen with a rhythmic sort of post-punk that brings to mind legends like Hoover, as front woman Sarah Matas delivers mysterious and smooth vocals amid the soft, buzzing climate, and “Bleeding Black” follows with guests Amy Domingues on cello and Winston Yu handling violin on the dark spirited, orchestral atmosphere.
The back half of the listen offers the cautious “Symmetry”, where J. Robbins plays bass synth on the angular melodies and slightly noisy setting, while “What There Is” is a hypnotic and bare display of moody instrumentation with ominous wordplay that suits the nearly gothic environment perfectly. “Demise” exits the listen with more emphasis on percussion from Andrea Shearer that interacts dynamically with playful bass from Christian Sturgis, as the quick listen finishes just as iconoclastic as it started.
If this were 1993, you might expect to see Quattracenta opening for Lungfish or Slint, and their records being on Dischord or Touch & Go, and just as it would then, it unfolds with alluring creativity and an experimental approach that we will never tire of.
Travels well with: Regulator Watts- The Mercury; Hoover- The Lurid Traversal Of Route 7