If It's Too Loud...

Sapling released one of my favorite albums of last year with No Sequoia , and now they're back with a new full length release. The Apocalypse Musical  is a slightly odd choice for a follow up release as seven of the twelve songs are listed as demos which is very Sebadoh of them. (Seeing as Jason Lowenstein produced No Sequoia , that tracks.) Some songs definitely have a home recording/demo feel, but others are fully built giant tracks. "Antisemantic" leads off the album. While it's a demo, I have literally no idea how it wouldn't be a fully produced single. It's a great follow up to their previous album. "Antisemantic" is a loud, noisy punk song. It has all of the mocking attitude that made me fall in love with Sapling, but somehow revved up even more. After finally seeing the band live earlier this month, I realized how much of a master of noise Amber ToiletFire Tortorelli is, and this song showcases that masterfully. "Hatchet Dutiful" mel...

My love of Sapling is very well documented here, so getting new music from them is fairly thrilling. They're set to release a new album in August, and they've shared a new track. "Antisemantic" is still in the demo phase, but it's still a great song. It's not quite the unbridled punk of their 2020 release No Sequoia , at least not at the beginning. Instead it's a funky, almost dance friendly jam with a nearly spoken word/freestyle rant throughout. Sapling nail my favorite kind of punk, which is more mocking than physically intimidating, and "Antisemantic" is a fabulous example of that. And then the noise kicks in and you're left with the smoldering remnants of what you were listening to before. It's epically wonderful. You can listen to "Antisemantic" below. The Apocalypse Musical  (no word on if the songs are going to be part of an interconnected storyline, but let's hope for a Sapling jukebox musical sometime in the future...