Inspired by the likes of John Cage, Heroin (the band), The Dead C, and DC punk writ large, Chris Lauterbach (Your Majesty) and Katy Otto (Trophy Wife) have combined forces in their new outfit whitepicketfence. A project over fifteen years in the making, this guitar/drums overblown duo writes ear splitting songs of the quiet desperation and seething fury that modern life provokes. A fuck you to the American Dream is their love letter to all that is human, all that is flawed, and all that rages against the predetermined path that we are taught instills “happiness.”

The four songs total a bit over 12 minutes and are tough to describe. I could imagine the material being tagged “slowcore” since certain elements bring to mind stuff like Codeine, but the arrangements can be unusual and kind of build in one direction without much cyclical repetition. Being a duo, the recordings are certainly spacious (at times as intentional texture—the faint hum of an amp or extended sizzle of a cymbal), but at times there are some layered guitars, so it’s not just ultra-stripped down; and both musicians contribute vocals, ranging from half-spoken to subdued singing as well as some shouting. Thus, stylistically you’ll pick up on emo/indie, borderline sludgy noise rock, post-rock, and associated realms in between and beyond.

—Aversionline