The Great Depression, sux, 2015

EP Review

Back in March, I came across the first single -- a demo actually -- from The Great Depression. "Purple Skirt" was kind of a slow, sad bit of hazy pop that stuck in my brain and left me wanting more. The song serves as the opening track for the long-awaited (by me, anyway) first EP from the NJ four-piece.

sux is five tracks, interspersed with some appropriately downer quotes like "Maybe I'm so cool I wanna die" (Moms) and "I'm gonna spend eternity alone with barely any swag" (Futurama), that firmly establish the Great Depression's... ...well... ...depressing... ...brand.

"Lose Most" finds vocalist Mel Chambers delivering lyrics like, "You have a habit of laughing while I'm suffering. I have a habit of giving away engagement rings" in her breezy, detached deadpan. This time Max Merrit's bass carries everything along until the whole band (guitarist Ben Luckman, drummer Zach Stier) comes together to bring some noise.

"If Algernon (Cadwallader, I'm assuming) Never Gets Back Together We Are Just Going To Keep Hearing Shitty Twinkle Songs From Shitty Twinkle Bands" is a nice, surprisingly upbeat, twinkly instrumental. Set-closer "Cash Out" gets nicely shoegazey, Chambers singing "I was all fucked up last summer... ...I was all fucked up last winter as well."

It's a short collection, but -- from Mel Chambers's vocals to the swirling instrumentation -- The Great Depression do an excellent job of sticking to their aesthetic throughout sux. I think everyone can identify with feeling low every once in a while. It's that shared experience or empathy that lifts you up by bringing you down, if you know what I mean.

Anyway...

sux is available as a Name Your Price download from The Great Depression's Bandcamp page.

The band have two shows this weekend. They'll be playing New Brunswick's Court Tavern on Saturday as part of a bill that includes Fire Is Motion, From Fragile Seeds, Milkmen, and A Film In Color. They celebrate the release of sux on Sunday at Pigeon Pad with Meridian, El Americano, Pinch Hitter, and NY In 64.

First Single from New Brunswick's The Great Depression

"Purple Skirt"

I do those listings every week, and certain bands keep popping up each time. New Brunswick's The Great Depression are one of those bands that I feel like I see on some show week after week. Yesterday, the band released their first single, "Purple Skirt," via Bandcamp.

The track drifts atop Ben Luckman's classic indie rock-influenced guitar as Mel Chambers lends a hazy vocal that reminds me of Chromatics' Ruth Radelet. Things eventually explode into a noisy interlude before rolling out on that riff again. I don't know. It's just the kind of slow, loud, reverby stuff I like; and I'm looking forward to more.

You can stream "Purple Skirt" over at The Great Depression's Bandcamp page where it's also currently available as a Name Your Price download.