209) Sextile - Push

I ran a poll on X/Facebook called #AlbumsDecade where people voted for their favourite record for each year, many regulars took part, and I would look forward to their choices. None more so than @NicBrownNoise who every day voted for a band and record I had never heard of, but someone would always reply what a great album he had chosen.

So, Nick requested an album review, and I wasn’t sure if it was going to be Ed Sheeran’s latest or something I did not know. He chose Sextile with their new release Push. I probably need to have a look at myself that I know Ed but not Sextile.

They have been around for about a decade and are from Los Angeles with the duo of Brady Keehn and Melissa Scaduto being the constants and released Push as their third record in 2023.

Contortion opens like prime New Order, no terrible thing, as Brady’s whispered spoken vocals take you into their darkened world and Crassy Mel is an intoxicating mix of aggressive vocals, guitars, and beats.

Lost Myself Again has a slacker like chorus and is punkish by design and is song I will come back to again and I enjoy the basic synths of Crash and the dreamlike vocals from Izzy Glaudini.

Crazy has a scuzzy guitar and the yelps in the background add to the effect and Plastic with its opening of heavy footsteps, computer generated voices and a relentless throbbing guitar with Brady shouting to get through holds my interest and Imposter has an excellent in your face vocal from Scaduto.

Eleven tracks in thirty-five minutes as Sextile hit us with relentless beats, synths, and guitars. I would have loved all eleven tracks if I were twenty-five but at fifty-three there are a few of the more relentless dance orientated tracks that are not for me, online people seem to rave about the track New York, but I just cannot get into it, despite several listens.

I would have never listened to this record; I won’t listen to it all again but there was more than enough to keep me interested. Nick proves it’s good to step out of your comfort zone and for that I thank him and will continue to enjoy his choices.

6.75/10

GIVE IT A STREAM: Lost Myself Again