NEW ENGLAND DEATH SQUAD

DOUBLEWALKER is finally here, and it’s wicked heavy. Yes, I’ll grace it with the “wicked” adverb because, like myself, FURNACE hail from New Hampshire, where we frequently use terms like “wicked pissah” and “yep bud” to describe things mildly pleasing to us. And nothing brings this band more to mind then reminiscing about cold, dirty, wood-stove-odor-filled, sweat-stained and beard heavy basement shows at Tyler’s house, where Furnace used to play more shows than I can remember (in more ways than one – “show” was sort of a loose term here). But enough about that. Their first full length has hit the streets and it’s everything I’d expect from such a unique band: spastic, fast, crushing, asymmetrical, crusty, and downright heavy. Basically, so punk.

Doublewalker finds the band experimenting more with their characteristic fast-slow change ups, weaving skull-crushing breakdowns seamlessly into the middle of a d-beat, and often refusing to be in any time signature at all. It’s better not to try to understand exactly what the hell they are doing in a song (band practices must involve a shit ton of memorization), but just to revel in the beauty of some extremely well thought out rhythms that don’t sacrifice a bass-heavy crusty sound for style. Seriously, I am so excited that this is where punk is going.

Lyrically, the band is on the right track, believing that music is medium which must serve to wake people the fuck up from the everyday prisons they put themselves into in the name of normalcy and success, as one of their older tunes explains - “The pressure’s building, we’re in over our heads/Drawing maps and diagrams/Our stories told before we’re born”. The best thing about Doublewalker, however, is the punk rock credibility it gives the band. This album has come out over a year later than when it was supposed to, and there isn’t anything more punk then being bad at being a band.

Furnace is touring Europe now and then is hitting the road around the US when they get back (my how they’ve grown up!). Bring them weed and catch a show if you aren’t too scared.

-ds