The Men's brand of wildly careening, sonically imposing post-hardcore is challenging but rewarding on their debut record
Leave Home. The three vocalists and songwriters in the band draw influence from a wide world of noise. From sludgy metal to post-apocalyptic soundscapes, droning Krautrock to screaming hardcore and shimmering shoegaze-y textures, the band weaves the strands together into an album that delivers plenty of sonic destruction, but also moments of almost fragile beauty. Sometimes it comes out in the vocal melodies, sometimes in the broken scrape of the guitars, but it’s usually somewhere below the surface, giving the record some heart to go along with the over-driven and clattering noise. Mostly, though, the record alternates between howling, hard-fought bursts of angst like “Think” or "Night Landing," and tracks like "If You Leave…." or "()," where the guitars work together like cogs in a whirling machine and give off sparks as they scrape and howl against each other. On the instrumental “Shittin’ with the Shah,” the band even manages to come off like an unhinged and murky surf band. The only time the album loses steam is on the dirge-like "L.A.D.O.C.H.," where the band gives in to the clichés of post-hardcore conventions and sound like they are merely going through the motions. The rest of the record is filled with an invigorating amount of passion, noise, and power that impressively takes their roots and influences to a new place. ~ Tim Sendra