Steve Prefontaine was one of the greatest runners and personalities ever to exist in the sport. He was under six feet, had one leg shorter than the other, and still managed to dust every person that towered over him because, to him, there was literally no other option. “To give anything less than your best, is to sacrifice the gift.”
So what exactly do the big lads of NYC and across the pond in the U.K. think they’re going to do when Truth Club steps up to the start line? To be quite honest, I don’t even think they’ll be able to get a step in before they’re left in the wake.
Truth Club is an avant-ferry-garde, rare earth metal, post-punk group out of Raleigh, North Carolina and their newest release, Not An Exit (Tiny Engines) is an absolute slammer. 9 songs filled with layers of anxiety, longing, and dissociation that not even a trailer truck full of Prozac would slow these folks down. These songs are the culmination of early British post-punk grooves slammed head on with high pop sensibilities, say for instance if Bauhaus was walking down an alley, came across the Killers and the Strokes, and a brawl ensued. The instrumentation on these songs is perfectly arranged and you can’t help but boogie in your room by yourself in the dark while a candle is flickering in the background.
Although there are dark tidings accompanying this album, there is still room for hope and beauty. “I Know There Is” starts it off with a message- “I hope that you hope that there is a right place for us”. Reflecting over anxious thoughts or morose feelings can only get you so far until you’re left empty with no growth, but Truth Club is able to do push ups during their deep digs and extract earnest meaning from their experiences.
“No Planned Sequel” goes through so many different phases, ending with a gut punch of guitar and lyrics that blindside you, “I’m impressed with your willingness to redact unwritten contracts for the sake of potential mutual happiness and no planned sequel” Being vulnerable takes courage and the risks that come with taking off your armor sometimes become so overwhelmingly scary that if something isn’t continuously guaranteed then what’s the end goal? Is a day of true happiness really worth it if you don’t get to experience those vivid emotions again? Truth Club understand this type of reflection on relationships and emotion isn’t easy and taking responsibility for your own faults is crucial if you want to grow. In the end, these folks have created a phenomenal, concise record and want you to know that lying to yourself about the past and your interpretation of it only furthers the depressive cycle.
You can’t live without truth.
RIYL: Quietly freaking out while your friends have a good time, Protomartyr, Everything all at once in your mind//nothing at the same time, Ba uhaus versus the Killers and Strokes in an alley fight, Trying like hell to jitterbug your anxiety away
Favorite Tracks: Student Housing, No Planned Sequel, Tethering, Not an Exit
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Written by Ira Mason (@spookEguy420_69)