Institute The Shooter EP
INSTITUTE proves yet again why they are a standard-bearer of effective, tense, subtle yet confrontational post-punk. And yeah, that sentence contains a bunch of qualifiers, but it’s less narrowing down their sound than it is the inability to not be verbose and effusive when describing it. This three-song EP was pressed to coincide with their first-ever Australian tour, so thanks for existing, Australia. The opening title track is a perfect sample size of what makes INSTITUTE so great and seemingly singular. And while the next track seems to exist in the same lane, the closing track changes it up just enough for the listener to take notice. “Why Are These Men Still Alive?” takes the musical tension of the first two tracks and shifts it over to the lyrics, questioning why we are forever trying to lift the boots off our necks when the legs in said boots are so feeble that they can barely stand as it is. The track is a bit longer, allowing both exploration and repetition, a krautrock-esque decision that really lets the listener get lost towards the end, picturing these powerful men with their colostomy bags running down their legs.
