Eye Flys are a quintessential Philadelphian band whose aggressive brand of noise rock is leading a wave of bands that harken back to classic era AmRep noise rock. Their rage is palpable and their wit is biting. Eye Flys are unsparingly heavy, driven by the colossal rhythm section of bassist Kevin Bernsten and drummer Patrick Forrest. Vocalist / guitarist Jake Smith delivers sharp humour with a healthy dose of venom and bile with each bestial growl while his dirty riffs roar at you.
Recorded by Bernsten at his own Developing Nations studio (Full of Hell, Integrity, Jarhead Fertilizer) and J Robbins’ The Magpie Cage, the band’s self-titled album features artwork drawn by artist and drummer John Herndon (Tortoise), known for his singular drawings and his band’s iconic ‘TNT’ cover. Eye Flys wades deeper into the muck and mire of modern living to take an unflinching look at the horrors of late-stage capitalism and offer a caustic remedy for its ravages.
Expanding on their bludgeoning debut ‘Tub of Lard’, ‘Eye Flys’ is lean and aggressive, fast and unforgiving. ‘Trepanation Summer’’s ferocious riffs bore directly into the skull, mimicking the crude pressure release of the ancient surgical process of the same name, Smith crying to “release the pressure” from within a wall of feedback. ‘Sleep Forever’ throws down a thrashing, infernal groove, demolishing all in its path as Smith’s craggy guitar figures rise like toxic smoke from the devastation. ‘Draining Pus’ revels in septic sludge, while ‘Bananarchy Zoo’ manages to strip things down to an even more lean and incisive realization of the trio’s punishing sonic palette, in an exploration of Smith’s love / hate relationship with his Florida roots.
Eye Flys offers a reassuring reminder that you haven’t gone mad and you’re not alone - that weird ‘n’ heavy music is still here as a respite from the madness of modern living and an outlet for righteous rage.
Recorded by Bernsten at his own Developing Nations studio (Full of Hell, Integrity, Jarhead Fertilizer) and J Robbins’ The Magpie Cage, the band’s self-titled album features artwork drawn by artist and drummer John Herndon (Tortoise), known for his singular drawings and his band’s iconic ‘TNT’ cover. Eye Flys wades deeper into the muck and mire of modern living to take an unflinching look at the horrors of late-stage capitalism and offer a caustic remedy for its ravages.
Expanding on their bludgeoning debut ‘Tub of Lard’, ‘Eye Flys’ is lean and aggressive, fast and unforgiving. ‘Trepanation Summer’’s ferocious riffs bore directly into the skull, mimicking the crude pressure release of the ancient surgical process of the same name, Smith crying to “release the pressure” from within a wall of feedback. ‘Sleep Forever’ throws down a thrashing, infernal groove, demolishing all in its path as Smith’s craggy guitar figures rise like toxic smoke from the devastation. ‘Draining Pus’ revels in septic sludge, while ‘Bananarchy Zoo’ manages to strip things down to an even more lean and incisive realization of the trio’s punishing sonic palette, in an exploration of Smith’s love / hate relationship with his Florida roots.
Eye Flys offers a reassuring reminder that you haven’t gone mad and you’re not alone - that weird ‘n’ heavy music is still here as a respite from the madness of modern living and an outlet for righteous rage.
TRACK LISTING
Trepanation Summer
Sleep Forever
Tuck & Roll
Draining Pus
Feeding Regression
What’s That Behind Your Ear?
Tear Away Face Plaster
Bananarchy Zoo