Sound Colour Vibration (Music | Art | Film | Technology | Science | Culture)

Pittsburgh, PA four piece Code Orange Kids have partnered with Deathwish Inc this year for the release of their debut full length Love is Love // Return to Dust. Highly charged hardcore music that falls into serene drop out moments that lean more towards experimental forms of post rock, this is the type of forward progression in hard music that has taken a large identity in bands today. The debut full length from this young group was recorded at God City Studios by Kurt Ballou (Converge). Where bands of past ages looked to fulfill the sonic pathways of the most influential artists and bands around them, the age of information has opened up the playing field to the fullest window possible and bands like Code Orange Kids bring more musicality than most harder and raw sounding bands because of it.

The artwork is an incredible counterpart to Love is Love // Return to Dust, bringing a sense of artistic direction that removes itself from many releases I have seen in the genre. With a plethora or deviations to the normal state of hardcore music, the moments when they tap into the foundation of the genre are just as crunchy, raw and large sounding as any band out. Bass rattles into the highest volumes possible, guitars knock down mountains, soaring screams can be heard for miles and the drum work is fully unhinged. The musical time changes and passages of different parts is met with a muddy atmosphere into a sludgy world that surfaces every few moments to clean off. The music breathes with a considerable amount of dynamics, showing the range the band has into lighter areas and approaches to composition. Lyrically the album is a poetic passage way into the hearts and minds of the band and taps into some very deep lyrics. In the first moments of the album, you hear the lines “I have never felt as empty as I feel today // Even when the moment’s beauty fades in and away. // That’s all it is. A moment. // And the images creep back into the forefront of my brain // From picking up the pieces of unearthing devotion. Re-energizing dead feelings.” All over the album there is a sophisticated approach to the way the lyrics are written and the singing approach is very raw through out.

Love is Love // Return to Dust begins with the raw savage and guitar heavy track “Flowermouth (The Leech)”. Beginning with the classic drum clap that segues many bands into the beginning notes of a live performance, this songs speaks of high state energy through sound where the power of the track is just as important as the melodic ideas, drum breaks and lyrics expressed. The guitars and bass are pushed to the highest levels and the level of drum dynamics reveals a lot about what this band stands for. Regardless of how heavy the guitar riffs are, the drums sense of dynamics are always in full view and nothing is washed into the wall of heavy guitar and bass that dominates much of the track. The bass, drum and vocal break down highlights how crunchy the bass tone is, something I love about the possibilities of the bassist in this group.  This is the type of song that makes the kids go ape shit and a start an organized frenzy in even the smallest of venues. The ending breaks out into experimental form where wild feedback from the guitars and a higher clean notes on the bass breath in a much more subversive picture. Guitar closes the song out in a beautiful manner, completely switching the pallet of energy the song began on.

The album takes on a very surprising turn with the pieces “Colors (Into Nothing)” and “Calm // Breathe”. Sounding more like something from Explosions In The Sky than anything on the hardcore side of things, the sheer beauty and scope of these tracks alone separates it from anything going on right now with the bands around them. Long brush stroke like guitar washes over everything as the serene nature of the band takes on full shape. The entirety of the album is built on this pull and release form of soothing, mind blowing excursions into a more gentle world along with the neck breaking prowess of the bands full energy state.

Code Orange Kids are a group I will be following closely and can’t wait to see how this album translates live. If you enjoy hardcore music with shades of other genres infused, you will love what this group has achieved on Love is Love // Return to Dust.

-Erik Otis

http://www.deathwishinc.com/

Tour Dates

10/14: Ottawa, ON @ Club Saw
10/15: Montreal, QC @ La Sala Rosa
10/16: La Baie, QC @ Hotel Plaza
10/17: Quebec City, QC @ Union Commerciale
10/18: Rimouski, QC @ Coop Paradis
10/19: Charlottetown, PE @ Murphy’s Community Centre
10/20: Halifax, NS @ The Pavillion
10/22: Hartford, CT @ Webster Underground
10/24: Columbia, SC @ One Unit Art Space
10/25: Jacksonville, FL @ Phoenix Taproom
11/13: Denver, CO @ Aqualung
11/15: Chicago, IL @ Viaduct Theatre
11/16: Cleveland, OH @ Now That’s Class
11/17: Detroit, MI @ Magic Stick Lounge
11/18: Buffalo, NY @ Funeral Home
11/19: Toronto, ON @ Hard Luck
11/20: Montreal, QC @ Katacombes
11/21: Worcester, MA @ The Palladium (Upstairs)
11/23: Philadelphia, PA @ Broad St Ministry
11/24: New York City, NY @ The Archeron
11/25: Baltimore, MD @ Charm City Art Space
11/26: Richmond, VA @ Kingdom
11/27: Charlotte, NC @ The Milestone Club
11/29: Tampa, FL @ Transitions Art Gallery
11/30: Pembroke Pines, FL @ The Talent Farm
12/01: Jacksonville, FL @ Phoenix Taproom
12/02: Birmingham, AL @ The Forge
12/04: Houston, TX @ Walter’s
12/05: San Antonio, TX @ Korova
12/06: Dallas, TX @ Tapatio Studios
12/07: Oklahoma City, OK @ Conservatory
12/08: Albuqueque, NM @ Gasworks
12/09: Phoenix, AZ @ The Underground
12/12: San Francisco, CA @ Sub Mission Art Space
12/13: San Jose, CA @ The Beat Shop
12/14: Reno, NV @ Fort Ryland 2000