Coca Leaf is one of many projects involving
Merchandise's
Carson Cox and
David Vassalotti, this time in conjunction with
Hubble's Ben Greenberg and
the Ukiah Drag's ZZ Ramirez. The four musicians play a hot, hazy blend of dubby post-punk disco, and are every bit as likely to nail a hard funk groove as they are to drift off into distant space. Their debut LP,
Deep Marble Sunrise, contains six tracks recorded in New York City during the summer of 2015, and while it was originally scheduled for release during the following summer, it ended up being delayed until the summer of 2017. This was a wise decision, as this is most definitely an album primed for the muggiest, most insect-infested time of the year. "New Soft Dawn" kicks things off with a sonic boom before a shuffling disco-punk rhythm sets in, bathed in layers of sun-soaked keyboards and guitars. A cut-up female voice enters the picture, declaring that "Freedom is inside of you" and "Rock and roll is my art," among other mission statements. As the song progresses, playful Italo-disco synth lines and swirling wah-wah guitar fuzz enter the mix. "No Light Bleeds the Den" is a slower dub workout filled with vibraslap and nightmarish echo effects. It seems to melt or sink into quicksand as it progresses. Following a short piano interlude, "Riding Ice" is a 99 Records-inspired dance-punk stomper with frazzled, distorted vocals and somewhat frightful pianos. "Marbled Sunset" is an unexpected zone-out, dispensing with rhythm in favor of spaced-out droning.
Deep Marble Sunrise is a slightly ominous, slightly zonked-out endeavor which could've only been bashed out in the heat of the moment. ~ Paul Simpson