Hostile Design by Black Eyes

For fans of Rage Against the Machine, Fugazi, Gang of Four, youth crew hardcore, and the rude awakening to a world seemingly designed to perpetuate suffering above all else, Hostile Design by Black Eyes gives us cause to dance in spite of and in response to the abundant pain of crumbling institutions. A varied percussion palette and rapidly delivered, desperately shouted vocals dominate the sound, uniting trippy krautrock sensibilities with frantic punk energy to invoke a danceable, accessible feel. Adding in jazzy saxophones, heavy riffing, and aggressive lyricism elevates the mixture to a revolutionary fervor, directing the band’s kinetic energy toward sources of hard and soft power which mold our lives into their unsatisfying, contorted shapes. This recognition of and pivot towards the forces of misery make this record’s aesthetic affinity for accessible dance formats feel more real, more empathetic, like this dance furthers our drive for freedom instead of spinning us off into a fantasy in which we’re already free.