RVA's Sensual World finally brings their first full length out into the world. Dark melodic punk. Our take: After a handful of tapes, Feeling Wild is the debut vinyl from Richmond’s Sensual World. I spent a good chunk of my 20s obsessing about heavy, heart-on-sleeve punk rock by bands like Leatherface and Husker Du, and while that sound is no longer a big part of my listening diet, Feeling Wild reminds me why that sound sucked me in. Really, though, it doesn’t sound like those bands; while the sound is big, burly, and punk, the lyrics are vivid and literate, and the overall vibe is melancholy, Sensual World has a much wider palette, as befitting a band named after a Kate Bush album. In particular, Sensual World reminds me of the Chameleons in how they combine somber chord progressions with bright and melodic, Buzzcocks-esque guitar leads. They’ve also chosen to record Feeling Wild with a ton of gritty texture. While putting the vocals so low in the mix wasn’t an obvious choice given how powerful the lyrics and vocals are, I like the fact that they’re fighting for attention with this bubbling morass of feedback and distortion. The songs themselves are snappy and memorable, and the 8 songs on the 45rpm 12” fly by, begging for repeat listens. It’s tough to do a RIYL because Feeling Wild is a singular record, but if you like heavy, melodic punk and appreciate the gritty textures of noise music (and even raw black metal?), this one is for you.
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