If It's Too Loud...

FACS are one of the most solid bands around these days. Their version of stripped down post-punk mixed with a little psychedelia translates perfectly to a live show. I saw them maybe six years or so ago at ONCE in Somerville, and I've been dying to see them again. It hadn't worked out, but luckily when they came back to the Boston area on Friday, I finally had the chance to see them again. FACS took the stage Friday night and proceeded to melt the entire audience's faces off for their entire set. Their sound is experimental and not at all mainstream, but oddly accessible. Focusing on the just released (and excellent) Wish Defense , the trio have mastered the art of letting the music speak for them. Little to no stage banter, FACS focused on their music. "When You Say," the set's opening track, set the mood for their set perfectly. Another personal highlight was their new album title track, "Wish Defense," which was epic live. The music was dark and m...

Photo by Evan Jenkins As a genre, post-punk isn't known for its beauty. That is true with the music of FACS. The Chicago band has a new single off their upcoming album that fits squarely in the post-punk category while also disguising an odd level of beauty. "You Future" isn't a pretty or melodic song. It's filled with droning guitars and an uncomfortable amount of dissonance. There are plenty of times where the instruments seem to be playing completely apart from each other. And while your average music fan is certainly not going to find anything beautiful about "You Future," fans of post-punk are going to be blown away by the beauty trying to stay hidden in the song.  Brian Case says of his band's latest single: " The final track is also the final action, look in the mirror and ask the questions. It's a future self talking to a 'you' from the past, assessing the path up until this point, questioning who you are. We bookended the al...

Photo by Evan Jenkins When we brought you "Wish Defense," the latest single from FACS, last month, we commented that it was the closest thing we've heard to a mainstream song from the Chicago band. They just released another single from their upcoming album, and all mainstream thoughts are gone with "Desire Path." Clocking in at a little over two minutes, this new single starts off with a long running squall of feedback that lasts about a quarter of the song. There is a post-punk groove running throughout, but "Desire Path" has an anxiety inducing intensity. Even as the song shifts and evolves, that uncomfortable feeling remains. We've been a fan of FACS since the Disappears days, and Wish Defense is only going to deepen that fandom. You can watch the video for "Desire Path" below. Wish Defense is due out February 7 on Trouble In Mind, and is available for pre-order here . For more on FACS, check out the artist on Facebook and Instagram ...

Photo by Evan Jenkins Chicago's FACS have returned with a reconfigured line up. Longtime bassist Alianna Kalaba has left the band and original member Jonathan Van Herik (who originally played guitar in the band) has returned on bass. Their upcoming album is also the final album engineered by the late Steve Albini. The band's new single, "Wish Defense," also has a sonic change from what we've heard previously from the trio. The song is still an experimental and jagged version of post-punk, but it's also the closest to mainstream FACS have ever been. That's not to say that your Imagine Dragons listening co-workers are going to start asking you about FACS, but there is a just barely hinted at pop sensibility that is new to the band. If you've always loved FACS, you're going to also love "Wish Defense."  You can watch the video for "Wish Defense" below. Wish Defense , the album, is due out February 7 on Trouble In Mind, and is avail...

Photo by Alex Carre There's been a killer post punk revival lately, and FACS have been on the forefront of it. As soon as their latest single, "North America Endless," starts, you just know it's FACS. The Chicago trio just has such a distinctive sound all to their own. This new single is everything we love about them. It's a dark and moody post punk song that's a slow burn, but is just dripping with intensity right from the start. "North America Endless" is a song dripping with catharsis. Even just listening to the song could change you, even if it's just a little bit. Vocalist/guitarist Brian Case says of the new single: “We had been talking a lot about how to incorporate melody in a new way with the material we were starting to write after  Still Life in Decay , and this was one of the first experiments with that. I had this inverted Polvo thing I had been playing around with that Jonathan married to a really nice Frippy sustained lead, and it ...

Photo by Evan Jenkins Chicago's FACS have this uncanny ability to make these plodding songs far more compelling than you would expect, and just feel heavier than their volume should allow them to. Their latest, "Slogan," just chugs along at a menacing speed. It's like a sonic version of the creature (demon?) from the film It Follows. A song moving at this speed shouldn't have this much darkness behind it, but "Slogan" does. There are a million metal bands that play as loudly and as fast as possible without achieving anywhere near this level of mood. It's a dark post-punk song that is going to leave you feeling quite uneasy during its four and a half minutes, but in the best possible way. Brian Case of FACS explains the new song and album: "change...how that's seen from different people's perspectives. 'Still Life In Decay' is about that kind of change, realizing that relationships exist in different ways for individuals in shared...

Photo by Evan Jenkins Chicago's FACS have become a favorite around here. They've had this great blend of experimental post-punk that can still straight out rock. The trio's new single, "When You Say," is the kind of song that is oddly heavy without being a hard rock song. The song feels like it's building and building for its first half, and that it's just going explode into a giant conflagration... but it doesn't quite do that. Instead, it just keeps morphing into different versions of a groove heavy song. Despite not having that giant expected release, "When You Say" still satisfies, just in an unexpected way that only FACS can truly pull off. You can watch the video for "When You Say" below. Still Life In Decay is due out April 7 on Trouble in Mind Records. The album can be pre-ordered through Bandcamp . For more on FACS, check out the band's Facebook and Twitter .

The latest single from Chicago's FACS is a mess. A giant, glorious, post-punk industrial mess. "General Public" is the kind of song most people aren't going to be able to handle. There is almost too much going on, so you're going to have to pay attention to it to fully grasp the song. FACS have piled layers upon layers upon layers at times. At other times, it's a relatively simple noise rock/post punk song. While it is grating at times (by design), the more you listen and the deeper you pay attention, the more beauty you start to find. Of course, that could just be Stockholm Syndrome kicking in. "General Public" won't be for anyone, or probably even most people. But if you love this kind of thing, this will quickly become a favorite of the year. Guitarist Brian Case explains the song: "The song is about roles, perceived and assumed, and how we translate that with each other. This song fell out complete, Andy Gill had recently died and we wer...

We've been following Chicago's FACS ever since they were Disappears. The trio has been reformed under the new moniker for four years now, and they keep toying with their sound. Their new single, "Strawberry Cough," is still their noisy, experimental brand of post punk, but they've begun branching out. FACS will always sound dystopian. That is part of their charm and sound. But "Strawberry Cough" has more of an almost electronic sound. There's a broken down future vibe throughout this song. FACS have never been an easy or even pleasant listen. This pushes that into a new level of discordant, in the best possible way. Brian Case of FACS says of the new song and video: "Strawberry Cough is about the world of interiors, and the line between where influences come together or split off. Going into record stores and having conversations with strangers, learning about new sounds, and finding something I've been looking for has been sorely missed ove...

Photo by Zoran Orlic I've been a fan of Chicago's FACS dating back to the Disappears days, so it's great to have new music from them. Their latest single, "Teenage Hive," is exactly what you want from FACS: Noisy, experimental, dark, and slightly off putting. "Teenage Hive" isn't exactly a pleasant listen, but if you know and love FACS, that's not what you're here for. Something about this particular song feels more aggressive than their normal output without them getting louder or sounding angrier. In fact, "Teenage Hive" is kind of suffocating.  Guitarist Brian Case says the song is about  "...not defining yourself so that other people can understand you. The evolved consciousness I've seen with my son and his generation/peer group regarding gender, identity, and human rights is the only hope for the future and informs all of Void Moments , which is ultimately an album about facing who we are." You can watch ...

Photo by Zoran Orlic Almost a year ago to the day we discovered FACS, the Chicago band that rose up from the ashes of Disappears. "In Time" is still the post punk art rock we loved from FACS's previous release, but something about it just feels a bit off (in the best possible way). "In Time" is oddly melodic, but extremely disjointed. The rhythm never quite stabilizes itself, and the song kind of stutters along due to that. It's not a loud, in your face rocker, but it does have intense moments. This might not be appealing to most people, but it's a beautifully uncomfortable listen. Is that sounds appealing to you, you may just love this song. You can watch the video for "In Time" below. Lifelike , the second album from FACS, will be out March 29 on Trouble In Mind. For more on FACS, check them out on Bandcamp , Facebook , and Twitter .

Photo by Zoran Orlic The more I hear music from FACS, the less I miss Disappears. "Primary" is their latest single, and it's starkly minimalist. While the song retains enough of a lush sound that it doesn't feel that it's lacking anything, it does so with more missing than showing. It's an incredibly dark, moody song that will leave you with a sense of foreboding. While post-punk is considered minimalist, I don't believe there is even enough here for that category. Every so often you get the impression that it's going to explode and finally, finally let loose. But it never does. You can watch the video for "Primary" below. Negative Houses , the debut album from FACS, will be out on Trouble In Mind on March 30. You can pre-order a copy here . For more on FACS, be sure to follow them on Facebook and Twitter .

Photo by Zoran Orlik Bad news, everyone. I just discovered that Disappears are no more, and that this happened roughly a year ago. The good news is we now have FACS, which is comprised of three members of Disappears: Brian Case, Noah Leger, and Jonathan van Herik. The new grouping has put out a first single, "Skylarking." Much like with Disappears, FACS is not going to be for everyone. It's extraordinarily sparse for a rock song, falling squarely into the "art rock" category while still maintaining a song structure. There's something very uncomfortable about "Skylarking." Despite how quiet it is, there's a disconcerting feeling of anxiety throughout the song. It's building this odd anticipation, which never quite fully pays off. There are a couple of moments when it feels like the whole thing might finally explode into chaos and noise, but, if anything, it seems to implode in upon itself. Like I said, not for everyone, but truly great s...