Shrines Shrines demo cassette
One of my biggest pet peeves is when the term “post-punk” is used interchangeably for “goth,” but Chicago’s SHRINES effectively collapse any distinctions to be made between the two—the four tracks on this demo are shrouded and dramatic without placing style over substance, guided by a righteous, unquestionably punk-rooted rage often lacking with other black-clad creatures of the night. The switch-off vocals from Skout and Angelica are frequently delivered in desperate shouts, driving rhythms push and pull against searing, needles-and-pins guitar lines, and subtle waves of synth fill the negative space like trails of smoke from a clove cigarette. The A-side is especially fierce, with “Cathartic Life” posing stern questions (“It’s all I know / But will it suffice?”) over danceable deathrock without waiting for answers, as “Sombra Vaga” casts a brooding and ominous XMAL DEUTSCHLAND/EUROSHIMA big-hair-and-eyeliner darkwave spell for its first minute only for SHRINES to slam the accelerator for a final 30 seconds worth of echo/chorus-saturated sinister hardcore whiplash. Some wear leather, some wear lace, SHRINES chose both.