Back in 2016, the Philadelphia-based band Control Top released a very promising demo tape and, since then, they’ve gone through a couple iterations, all with vocalist/bassist Ali Carter, who pulled in drummer Alex Lichtenauer and guitarist Al Creedon to develop and strengthen the band’s sound. Together, they recorded Control Top’s forthcoming debut, which is called Covert Contracts and will be out later this year.

The first we’re hearing from it is “Type A,” a pulsing bit of knotted discord. It’s a giant and powerful fuck-you to someone who wants to be in control of everything. “The thought of chaos worries you/ Only your solution will do,” Carter snarls. “I see right through your power trip/ One loose screw and you will slip.” Lichtenauer’s drumming is alternately scattered and precise, switching on a dime as the song demands, and Creedon both produced the track (and album) and chugs through monstrous riffs that coil tight around the rest of the band. They both embrace chaos and maintain a strict structure throughout, which makes the song hit doubly hard. Listen below.

TOUR DATES:
03/28 Philadelphia, PA @ Space 1026 *#
03/29 Baltimore, MD @ Joe Squared *
03/30 Washington, DC @ Catbus *
03/31 Brooklyn, NY @ Silent Barn *
04/01 Pittsburgh, PA @ Mr. Roboto Project *
04/13 Philadelphia, PA @ Everybody Hits ^
05/05 Philadelphia, PA @ First Unitarian Church – Get Better Fest %
* with Empath
# with Dark Thoughts
^ with Taiwan Housing Project
% with Mannequin Pussy