A celebration of love, unity and noise. The idea of PHYSIQUE and ELECTRIC CHAIR doing a split record was a spontaneous idea that got thrown out when a handful of members from each band went swimming together a few summers ago. The thought that they were two very different sounding and well celebrated bands, from the same small town made it very appealing. Of course, the driving idea was that it was a symbol of friendship between members of the bands. Since their respective inceptions, the two bands have been closely intertwined. Riley lived with a few members of ELECTRIC CHAIR for many years. Trae is a former member of PHYSIQUE - and Riley has even filled in on drums for EC. The two bands love one other and have been long time friends and supporters of each other’s music. The record celebrates a period of time in OLYMPIA’s rich punk history that all involved are very proud of. 1500 on black 150gr vinyl housed in a 24pt jacket with insert. EC side recorded by Evan Mersky. PH side recorded by Vivienne Vespera Lumière. Mastered by Shige Noise Room. Art by Collin Buhr, Victim Of and Bouncing Bee. FFO: Void, Gloom, Poison Idea, Framtid, Anti-Cimex, Doom, Beta Boys, Jerry’s Kids Our take: Iron Lung Records teams up two of hardcore’s most important bands for a devastating split LP. This split caught me by surprise given Electric Chair’s reduced activity since their drummer moved to Australia and the fact that Physique just dropped an LP and an EP not too long ago, but it’s an extremely welcome surprise as these are two of my favorite bands going. When I first listened to this split, what struck me is that it captures both bands at an interesting stage where they know exactly who they are, are confident enough to push at the edges of their respective sounds, but not restless enough to fuck with the formula too much. Basically, both groups are at the height of their powers here. Electric Chair comes with one of their cleaner recordings that really shows off what a great and powerful band they are. They start off with a rare mid-paced song, “Weed Out the Rat,” before careening into four blasts of their trademark flying-off-the-rails hardcore. The vocals (free from the “underwater” effect on Act of Aggression) are catchier than ever, and the lead guitars stand out even more than on previous records, wrenching out both uncomfortable squalls of noise and blindingly fast melodic runs. There’s even a near-blast-beat at the beginning of “Can’t Quit Drinking.” I’m still digesting, but I wouldn’t be surprised if, years down the line, I consider these songs Electric Chair’s high-water mark. As for Physique, they are similarly inspired here. I always say that this kind of highly stylized d-beat hardcore is a game of inches where subtle adjustments in guitar sound, rhythm, or vocal approach can really change the vibe, but Physique always sounds fresh and exciting without relying on a trainspotter’s knowledge of d-beat history. What I find most interesting about their tracks here are the rhythms, which break out of the overly familiar Discharge/Disclose beats that undergird this style. “Drowning in Debt,” for instance, is this choppy mid-paced track where, if you squint, the beat bears some traces of “A Look at Tomorrow,” but it feels like distinctly its own thing (or, if they’re borrowing it from another song, it’s not obvious to me which one). The trick with this style is walking that fine line between doing everything the style demands (and doing it well!) and adding something new to the conversation, and no one rides that sweet spot like Physique. On paper, I can see how this split might not be that exciting—two bands who have been around a long time and have a lot of other records, most of which you probably already own—but the proof is in the pudding, and once my needle lands on this slab, the last thing I want to do is pick it up.
