Weekend / Red

Slumberland

After spending the bulk of the past year on the road in support of last November’s Sports LP on Slumberland Records, Weekend has been hard at work on its followup. Prior to their European tour in July, the band spent three weeks in the studio with producer Monte Vallier crafting their new EP. Prepare for yet another gorgeous, violent sonic assault, because Red packs a serious punch. Opener “Sweet Sixteen” delivers mesmerizing grind, stately bass and drums underpinned by soaring vocals, and echoed shards of guitar feedback and plucked notes. This leads directly into the noise-pop gem “Hazel”—3:50 of cascading bass chords, guitar clangor and a melody and chorus most pop bands would kill for. “Your Own Nothing” is clattering post-punk, spiked with layers of guitar noise and a dubbed-out atmosphere.  “The One You Want” is a rather more straightforward tune in the manner of “Hazel” and further proof that Weekend crafts melodies just as well as they innovate with guitar textures and dazzle with sonic overload. The EP concludes with “Golfers,” which downshifts into an extended minimal intro before building to a gorgeous crescendo of rumbling drums, chiming / fizzing guitars and as always that unerring sense of melody Weekend maintains in even the most noise-laden tunes. Red packs more ideas into five songs than most bands do on a full-length record, and points the way toward Weekend’s next long-player, due in 2012. Be sure to catch them on tour throughout September with Talk Normal.

Weekend - Hazel by Slumberland Records

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