Plot Food Chain LP
PLOT is a three-piece from Philadelphia that has been at this for a while now, and their new album leans into a dark, uneasy mood which should be familiar to fans of their previous releases. Jake Rhoda’s keyboards sit right up front, and his vocals come drenched in reverb, often to the point where the words are hard to make out. On the peppier songs, the bass and drums do a lot of the work, pushing everything forward with a low, dirty churn. You can hear the music reflecting influences from industrial to post-punk to noise rock, and few tracks even edge toward dance punk, though they never fully cross over into something you’d call fun. I could see PLOT sharing a bill with USA NAILS or early POP. 1280. For me it works best on the noisier, rockier songs, and “The Convenience of Meat” is the high point, a dark, grinding standout. They also stretch out in places: “Infiltrator/Party World” is a slower, layered, six-minute drone that could be an ordeal for some, or a good track to zone out to during a study session. I found my attention wandering during a few of the less aggressive stretches, but when PLOT leans into the grit, it really connects.
