Washington, DC's Black Eyes used to make noisy, percussive, extremely sick DIY music, and now they're doing it again. I saw Black Eyes play some absolutely incredible live shows back in the day, and they recently reunited to play their first shows in two decades. Now, they're getting ready to release Hostile Design, their third album but their first since 2004. We've already posted the early singles "Pestilence" and "Tomtom," both of which are awesome. The new LP comes out on Friday, and now Black Eyes are breaking us off with one more song.
Black Eyes' new track "Burn" is less feverish and chaotic than the last two. It's misty and evocative, and it takes clear inspiration from dub reggae -- a controlled "Burn," if you will. But there's still plenty of catharsis to be found. Daniel Martin-McCormick, the more unhinged of the band's two singers, almost raps on "Burn," shrieking out bars in his feral-weasel upper register. More than once, I'm pretty sure he says, "Kill your shitty parents." A lot of the juice comes from the contrast -- this meticulous groove that could explode at any moment. At the end, it turns into a violently satisfying chant-along. Listen below.
Hostile Design is out 10/10 via Dischord.
