It's always fascinating when people from the hardcore world continue to operate in that universe even when they're making music that's pretty far outside of it. Consider the Leeds band Bodyweb. They play hardcore festivals. They record for Flatspot Records and Northern Unrest, two hardcore labels. They're about to tour the UK and Europe with hardcore heroes Poison The Well. Bodyweb's founder and leader is Louis Hardy, a member of the hardcore bands Big Cheese and Higher Power. But Bodyweb's sound, while plenty heavy, isn't exactly hardcore. It's a lot closer to the nü-metal bands who went really crazy playing around with rave sounds in the late '90s.
Bodyweb released their debut EP train_wreck_simulation in 2023, and now they've followed it with a new four-song collection called deadwired. It's a weird one, and it reminds me of the pre-pandemic moment when bands like Vein and Code Orange were messing around with late-'90s metal and electronic sounds. It also sounds like what would happen if a hardcore band tried to sound like Tool and Aphex Twin at the same time. I think it's fun! Listen below.
The deadwired EP is out now on Flatspot Records/Northern Unrest.
