Split 7”
Protagonist, 2015
9/10
An exceptional split 7” from two bands who are very firmly rooted in the world of underground, DIY punk and hardcore, Secret Smoker, from Baton Rouge, and Maryland’s Alarms & Controls both offer 2 songs each of their esteemed and creative song craft.
Alarms & Controls, who consist of members of the 1.6 Band, The Crownhate Ruin and Circus Lupus, take Side A, where “Your Mama’s Sleek Ride” offers an angular and funk friendly jaunt into their creative brand of post-punk, while “Flood Plane” moves with a swirling approach as math-rock, hypnotic swells and a precise rhythm section are present and welcomed.
Secret Smoker occupy the B-Side and are a much more forceful outfit, as the raw delivery of “Everything All At Once” mirrors the intensity and impact of post-hardcore bands like Heroin or Reach Out. “Sun Eaters” exits the listen, and, much like the previous tune, buries melody under bristling and dissonant displays of emotive power.
Both Alarms & Controls and Secret Smoker have excellent albums available, too, (Clovis Points, and Terminal Architecture), but this shorter affair is a good way to test the waters of their D.C. influenced songwriting that wastes no time earning your attention.
Travels well with: Hoover- The Lurid Traversal Of Route 7; Greyhouse/Dahlia Seed- Split 7”