Think of what its like walking through a haunted house. There are moments of eerie quiet then pure fear running through your veins as you walk through each horrifying scene. Yet you keep going, every unsteady step bringing you closer and closer to something that is waiting to scare you. You eagerly search for your attacker in the flashes of strobe lights and smoke with excitement and fear mingling in the back of your throat. After each scene the adrenaline hits as you catch your breath in the dark, foreboding hallways inching closer to the next frightful room. It’s exciting and terrifying, sinister and alluring, maddening and enticing.
Listening to Early Life kinda feels like this. This debut album, released in November, is a stunning work of precision from the Oakland, CA foursome Mansion. This album is full of vicious drums, haunting vocals and two guitars- one with all strings tuned to only C, the other not tuned at all- blast through in fits and spasms creating an avalanche of noise. This album was the first full-length release of Oakland’s fanzine turned record label DEGENERATE. Following in the footsteps of M’lady’s Records in Portland, this album’s price varies between genders. To reflect the ongoing wage disparity, Early Life is available to women in the US for 77% of the $12 list price. This album is part post-punk, part experimental noise, all badass and definitely something worth checking out!