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HOUSEWIVES – HOUSEWIVES

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In the wake of Women’s tragic demise, the world is still waiting for a hero to take up their essential mantle. Housewives are the first band to my ears that come anywhere close to the ecstatic dissonance that the young Calgary masters were so skilled with. These are Brits, though – their chaos is just as indebted to This Heat as it is Sonic Youth. Their self-titled cassette was released by Faux Discx in December of last year. It’s worth your attention.

Things start off briefly – three songs under three minutes, all concise chaos and focused fury. Guitars shred and drone in a relentless reconfiguration of attack and support. “Medicine Bottle” might be the best of these first three, and signals a slight shift towards proggier tendencies that dominate for the final two tracks. In light of the mutant funk of “Bottle,” “Almost Anything” comes off as far more terse and robotic, but the tempo shifts keep the sound fresh and organic. Closer “62426” might be the most Women-like. Energetic guitar stabs slice through 60’s-style monotone vocals. Apocalypse bombs of noise give way to industrial sludge, and the listener walks away satisfyingly unsettled.

Even though their musical forebears are exposed with clarity, Housewives boast a promise that few guitar-based bands are displaying these days. Noise-rock from Boston is a notable exception, of course – the likes of Guerilla Toss, Designer, and Lair are making sure of that. What Housewives offer is an overseas foil to the new strains in mutant guitar. Please, sweet Jesus, let this be the first of many releases to come. Pick up the cassette from Faux Discx here, and stream below.

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