Street Sects - The Kicking Mule

Street Sects are an Experimental duo out of Austin Texas who I first became aware of around the time of their short but incredibly exciting EP "Gentrification I: The Morning After the Night We Raped Death".  This was a short, barely 5-minute EP loaded with two horrifying Punk jams.  This was like an even more tortured version of Death Grips, combining blasts of industrial production, hellish screams, elements of Electro-Clash and Cyber Punk and tons and tons of noise.  And hell yea, it was incredibly exciting.  Shortly after they released the equally short but equally exciting "Gentrification II: Broken Windows, Sunken Ceilings" EP.  And for the most part, this was more of the same in every way.  The production to me seemed a little bit more fresh and polished, but this was wild stuff man.  But with their first full-length album "End Position", something really interesting started to happen with Street Sects.  They were just as noisy and abrasive, drenching themselves in horrifying samples and twisted, glitchy synths.  But there was also an incredible human aspect to this.  Beneath all of the horror and behind this absolutely brilliant album cover were some really tortured souls that gave this album a realism I really hadn't heard in these genres. It's pretty stunning.  Now, 2017's "Rat Jacket EP" is a totally a different ball game.  It was obvious by this point that Street Sects aren't your average Noise band.  But this was so much of a bluesier, drearier and depressive album, fueled by emotional performances and genuine gloom.  However, the same very noise influences are around in spades.  It's an interesting shift for Street Sects, but a good one.

This album starts out with “269 Soulmates”, and this is an absolutely twisted, unsettling intro.  It’s got tons of really great sound effect, and when these very 80’s Synths pop in things get wild pretty quickly.  I love the hectic drums and just how absolutely vicious Leo Ashline sounds here.  I’ve made a few comments about him coming off as a little softer these days, but he does have his moments.  But with these verses Street Sects do seem to have shifted up their sound once again.  Here, Leo sounds so over-the-top and theatrical.  It actually almost reminds me of like, early Faith No More with all of its absurdity.  But there’s also a deep sadness in some of these more drug-fueled bars.  It’s an interesting contrast, but there’s enough about this that’s legitimately intense that things end up working nicely.  I love this as an intro. Now, “Birch Meadows, 1991” is much more calculating.  I love just how incredibly tense this one is and how twisted Leo sounds in his vocal performance.  Between that and these hard to place drums, this is some really exciting material.  Hell, there are practically some Hip-Hop elements.  This is really good, even if it does come off a little incomplete.  Now, I personally really love a lot of these sound clips Street Sects bring in, including the ones on “Chasing the Vig”.  Of course, it’s campy and ridiculous, but that gives this seemingly endless character.  But it’s sadly all downhill after that.  Why the hell is this track so sloppy?  The beat is iffy, and the twinkling riff is an absolute joke.  It’s supposed to be all whimsical but it’s just so annoying and obnoxious and detracts way too much from the vocals, which are just as goofy.  I get that Street Sects want to go for a more human sound.  But this track sucks.  But I actually really do love just how tense and rigid “Suicide By Cop” comes off.  Leo once again is back to sounding so much more animated, and when he bursts into a few seconds of screaming things get really intense.  Like, this is theatrical and very over-the-top.  But here, this is nothing but an absolute blast.  It’s just so visceral, it’s times like this that I feel like we’re listening to some weird Noise/Emo crossover and it’s just fucking exciting.  

Now, I will say this.  I may have enjoyed Street Sects’ earlier material a little bit more than this album.  But the band are so good at painting this sound like they’re in a world where obviously something is very wrong.  “Everyone's at Home Eventually” is a winding, twisted tune fueled by some gigantic industrial beats and muscular riffs.  Like, these guitars just sound so freakish, between this and the new Daughter album these instrumentals just sound tortured.  But one thing that I do sort of wish Street Sects would do, would be to go all out and go straight Gothic to an extent.  But still, this is a very intense, driving tune filled with weird detours and exciting passages.  But they do embrace their more Gothic side with “Dial Down the Neon”.  This is a slow paced, muscular Industrial tune.  But here, Leo takes the reigns completely and delivers one of his most charismatic performances.  Between his swooning verses and screamed chorus, this is nuts.  It’s all just so animated and “evil”.  Like, there’s absolutely some Marilyn Manson worship going on here.  But it’s just so over-the-top and practically goofy that I can’t help but love it.  Not to mention, they keep dropping these bizarre samples that are just so campy but so well done.  Honestly, “In For a World of Hurt” continues to really rub me the right way.  I love the upbeat feel of this one and the constant pummeling of the drums here.  The sound effects continue to be simple, but just so effective.  It’s brutal, and here, Leo sounds fantastic.  It’s in times like this that his performances come off at their strongest.  Not to mention, some of the more low key moments here are absolutely incredible.  Like, they come off so bluesy and human, much like their EP from last year.  It’s wild, it’s fun, it’s also incredibly tormented.  And honestly, if I had to choose one track here to really dive into, it’s this one.  This album by the point of “Before It Was Worn” has really taken a turn for the heavier.  Like, these industrial drums and noisy atmosphere are actually really exciting.  Even the very gritty production is great.  But like, I don’t know, I feel like Leo in these instances doesn’t necessarily sound bad.  But he really does sound a little less sure of himself.  Almost to a point where I feel like he’s holding back a little.  But the very crunchy, abrasive atmosphere makes this OK at best. 

As this album keeps rolling, I feel like things just get more and more abrasive.  Which is great for some reasons, but bad for others.  Let’s be real, “Still Between Lovers” is exciting as hell instrumentally.  I love the pulsing drums and the noisy riff.  But as far as Leo’s performance goes, this is actually like, one of his most subdued performances of the bunch.  Sure, he has some great screaming verses, but that’s all.  His verses here are rigid and just awkward.  But as a finale, “The Drifter” actually really works for me man.  This is just so slow, tense, and filled with legitimate danger.  I mean, this is a track about a drifter, a dangerous individual of sorts.  And in this instance, honestly, they paint this amazingly.   Leo just sounds so tormented here, and this whole track is just so abrasive.  Here, I feel like this is the sound they should be sticking with.  It’s slow paced and gloomy, but it’s filled with tons of character, and nothing is rushed. 

Rating: 7.4/10

Give A Listen To: “269 Soulmates”, “Suicide by Cop”, “In For a World of Hurt” “The Drifter”

Least Favorite Track: “Chasing the Vig”

Genre: Industrial / Noise Rock 

Overall Thoughts:  For me, this is basically the next step for Street Sects.  While I do enjoy their debut a little bit more, this is much more of a human release, and the duo are showing more personality than ever.  Their sound is noisier than ever, has more emotion, and has more Industrial blasts.  But at the same time, I do feel like their music has been more exciting in the past.  My only real want for the future is, I hope Leo gets even more comfortable with these very charismatic performances.