photos by Scott Evans
“…one of this year’s essential albums, a hardcore classic in the making.” – Everything Is Noise
Everything Is Noise is hosting the exclusive stream of Slow Change Will Pull Us Apart, the infectious debut LP from Oakland, California-based post-hardcore quartet EX EVERYTHING, on the eve of the album’s release through Neurot Recordings.
EX EVERYTHING unites current and former members of Kowloon Walled City, Early Graves, Mercy Ties, Blowupnihilist, Less Art, and other notable Bay Area acts from the past two decades. The result of pent-up rage and even terror, Slow Change Will Pull Us Apart showcases the band’s fusion of Dischord-influenced math rock and noisecore; a nuanced rage that refuses to accommodate the passive listener.
Jon Howell’s percussive, angular playing is as impressive as it is baffling, with malformed chords and abstract melodies that still burrow effortlessly into your brain. Dan Sneddon’s drumming is a stampede of frenetic time signatures, deceptively understated patterns and anthemic bashing, while Ben Thorne’s bass roils underneath like a ship’s hull scraping the ocean floor. The band’s true skill, though, lies in how their instruments interlock, the structuring of movements that grow songs from rotted dirges to triumphant war cries, rhythmic tension building until a riff explodes it into something unexpected and completely satisfying. Vocalist Andre Sanabria screams like he’s trying to tear the songs apart, though he manages to find moments of almost Zen-like contemplation. It’s a deft and mesmerizing performance.
EX EVERYTHING recorded Slow Change Will Pull Us Apart with Scott Evans over four days in February 2022 at Sharkbite Studios in Oakland, with overdubs completed at Antisleep Audio through early 2023. The record was mixed by Evans, mastered by Amar Lal, and completed with artwork by Demian Johnson of Neurot labelmates Great Falls.
With the album stream, Howell reveals, “Hoping for change in the world around you is meaningless without taking action to make that change happen. For us, creating Slow Change Will Pull Us Apart is that proactive step. It’s how we look at all the terrible shit that’s happening and try to create something positive. Now, this record gets to belong to everyone, and we couldn’t be more proud. We hope you all love it, and it motivates some people to action.”
Everything Is Noise calls the record, “…one of this year’s essential albums, a hardcore classic in the making, continuing, “Heck, if Neurosis think they’re good, they must be doing something right, right? I have no doubt that this project will spread like wildfire, and I sincerely hope that it does. Works that stick to their guns and stay true to their emotions can be few and far between. But this album is uninterested in the trappings of fame, immune to the influence of fortune, it’s an ardent soliloquy that has a singular purpose, to unite the people against a common enemy.”
Hear EX EVERYTHING’s Slow Change Will Pull Us Apart in full early through Everything Is Noise at THIS LOCATION.
Neurot Recordings will release Slow Change Will Pull Us Apart next Friday, November 10th on Black And Red Marble LP, CD, and digital platforms. Find preorders and presaves HERE and watch the “Detonation In The Public Sphere” video HERE.
Directly in conjunction with the release of the LP, EX EVERYTHING will play four shows in the Pacific Northwest beginning with a record release show in Albany on November 9th, followed by shows in Portland on the 10th, Seattle on the 11th, and Tacoma on the 12th. See the confirmed dates below and watch for additional live excursions to be posted.
EX EVERYTHING Live:
11/09/2023 The Ivy Room – Albany, CA *record release show
11/10/2023 Kenton Club – Portland, OR
11/11/2023 Southgate Roller Rink – Seattle, WA
11/12/2023 New Frontier Lounge – Tacoma, WA
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