If It's Too Loud...

Photo by Heather Bickford At this point in their career, it's going to be hard for A Place to Bury Strangers to shock fans with a new song. The New York noise legends have done that with "Where are We Now" by turning the volume and noise way, way down. The new song might be the quietest and most stripped down they've ever released. There is still some noise peeking through during the verses of the songs, but once we hit the chorus the song becomes an uplifting near power ballad. We've become accustomed to hearing guitar squalls and electronic chaos from the band, so hearing a relatively quiet and straightforward song from them is quite jarring. (Of course, straightforward is a relative term, and I'm sure your Goo Goo Dolls and Third Eye Blind listening co-workers would still find "Where are We Now" far too weird.) Frontman Oliver Ackermann says that the new song is about “... looking back at friends you lost touch with. Wondering where they ended up....

Photo by Ebru Yildiz "Acid Rain" is the latest single from A Place to Bury Strangers' upcoming rarities album. The noise rock veterans wrote and recorded this one back during the current President's first term, and it captures the chaos of that time (and the current one). The noise behind "Acid Rain" is almost too much at times, with a drum beat that fuzzes as much as it thuds. The song combines the distortion heavy rock and electronic noise sides of A Place to Bury Strangers equally, creating a song that you can almost dance to at times, if it wasn't for the crushing nature of the song. "Acid Rain" certainly won't be for everyone, but that's part of the joy of A Place to Bury Strangers. Oliver Ackerman says of his band's latest single: “Cruelty felt not just normalized, but weaponized. Watching people in power openly coerce others into silence, compliance, and violence was horrifying, and still is. What shook me most was how casual...

Photo by Heather Bickford New York noise rock lifers A Place to Bury Strangers are set to release a rarities collection and have a new single from that album. "Everyone's the Same" is pure A Place to Bury Strangers. It's loud, it's menacing, and it's incredibly noisy. The band have always been at their best when they work within a (somewhat) normal song structure, and this one meets that stipulation. It could be a fairly typical alt-rock song, except for the sheer chaos spinning all around the song. Throughout most of the song, there is a buzzsaw-like squall that threatens to spin the entire thing out of control, which is occasionally does. "Everyone's the Same" isn't going to be for a mainstream audience, but that's the beauty of A Place to Bury Strangers. Oliver Ackermann says of his band's new single: “I had a dream where a man led me to a brook, peaceful and calm. When he turned his head slightly, I saw the most evil smile imagina...

Photo by Ebru Yildiz No one can use a synthesizer like a noise instrument like A Place to Bury Strangers do. Their latest single, "Fear of Transformation," has so many of the elements of being a techno song. It's digital and has a beat you'll find it hard not to dance to. But everything else in the song is a whirlwind of noise and aggression. Some people will surely find this to be a tough listen, but that is the A Place to Bury Strangers way. If you love some (ok, more than some) chaos in your music, this one is for you. It's absurdly loud and dissonant, and kind of sounds like maybe three or four Depeche Mode songs put into a blender. In other words, we're loving this one. Oliver Ackermann says of his band's latest song: "Sometimes fear builds up and pins you in a cage. A conversation occurs in my head where I have to convince myself to just fucking do something to break out of it." You can watch the video for "Fear of Transformation"...

Photo by Ebru Yildiz The musical stylings of A Place to Bury Strangers can be referred to as "chaotic," and that aptly describes their latest single. "Bad Idea" washes over you with a swirling wall of dissonance and noise. It's fuzz and electronic feedback over what could almost be a pop song. The drums are holding everything together, and the vocals are pretty standard for a garage rock song. However, the rest of the song is pure chaos with synths sounding like they're about to erupt and guitars sounding like they're in horrific pain. "Bad Idea" is not background or chill out music. A Place to Bury Strangers are demanding your full attention with this one. Oliver Ackermann says of his band's latest single: "[Bassist John Fedowitz] came to the studio with a simple looping drum beat, thinking he didn’t have any good ideas—thus, the song was his ‘bad idea.  We each penned some lines on paper, and he sang the ones that resonated. After a ...

Noise rock legends A Place to Bury Strangers have a new single out that lands squarely in what we expect from them, but only because they have such a wide range of sound. "You Got Me" sounds more like darkwave than we're used to from the trio, but darkwave from A Place to Bury Strangers isn't exactly a pure representation of the genre. They've somehow made darkwave even darker and added a lot more noise. It's jangly and foreboding, without the aggression you typically hear from them. It's a little less noisy and a bit more straightforward, but sometimes that's the best way for A Place to Bury Strangers to surprise you. Oliver Ackermann says of his band's latest single: "The ' Synthesizer' in this track is used to create almost flute-like additions to the guitar line. It also creates the sound of a backwards car crash, simulating my heart stopping." You can watch the video for "You Got Me" below. Synthesizer is due out O...

Photo by Ibru Yildiz New York noise legends A Place to Bury Strangers are moving away from their Sevens singles series to release a new album in October. The first single off the album, "Disgust," is classic A Place to Bury Strangers. It just hits you in the face with a monster wall of sound, and then barrels over you. It sounds like a mixture of the fuzz and noise of Sonic Youth along with the industrial aggression of Nine Inch Nails. "Disgust" is a huge song that is quite obviously not meant for the masses. A Place to Bury Strangers have always been for a more niche audience, but if you belong to that niche, this one is going to melt your face clean off. Oliver Ackermann says of his band's new single:  “‘Disgust’ is a song I wrote that was inspired by the way I used to perform ‘Got That Feeling,’ a song by my old band Skywave. There was a long riding open note on the bass that enabled me to play the whole part with my fist in the air.  I wrote this song just o...

A Place to Bury Strangers are a band I've been a fan of for years now, but have just never gotten around to seeing them live. Their live shows are the stuff of legend, with reports of pure chaos breaking out at shows, and just giant amounts of pure noise. I'm happy to report that the legends are true. Opening the show Thursday night was JJUUJJUU, a band I have some familiarity with. They played a raucous set of noise rock that was still rooted in the moist basic rules of rock song structure. They had a bit of an almost blues rock sound, but mired down in just pure, loud, abrasive noise. It was in your face, but in an almost polite way. Their live show was much louder than the recordings I associate them with, which are much more chill and lovely. They were a fun rediscovery. Suuns played next. They reminded me of early Mogwai without the extreme highs and lows. Their songs danced between being lovely and abrasive, but like they were trying to find the middle ground. And they di...

For their latest 7" single release, A Place to Bury Strangers delve back into their more electronic sound. "You'll Be There for Me" is a much more straightforward electronic rock track than we've come to expect from the Brooklyn band. It's more aligned with a New Wave meets 90's techno than their typical electronic experimentations. It's almost dark wave, but not quite. This might be the most dance friendly song we've heard from A Place to Bury Strangers, although it would only allow for awkward dancing. Of course, they do bring the noise back towards the end, but just enough to remind you of who you're listening to. You can listen to "You'll Be There for Me" below. You can order a copy of the vinyl here through Dedstrange. For more on A Place to Bury Strangers, check out the band's website . Upcoming tour dates are below the song. You'll Be There For Me/When You're Gone by A Place To Bury Strangers May 29 - Providen...

Noise rock legends A Place to Bury Strangers have been killing it lately with their The Sevens singles series, which shows them releasing songs that don't need to make sense together in the context of an album. The latest is "This is All for You," and if you like noise rock, this one is for you. I suppose the new single is based mostly in shoegaze, although this is hardly traditional shoegaze. "This is All for You" is much more discordant and aggressive than what you envision with the genre. This is a blistering track that comes in at under two minutes without any of the normal warmth associated with shoegaze. It's kind of like A Place to Bury Strangers decided to dabble in shoegaze on a whim, failed miserably, and then decided to release the song anyway because it kicks ass. You can listen to "This is All for You" below. The song is available as a 7" with "Don't Turn the Radio" on Dedstrange, and is available here . For more on ...