Saints of Lorain Those Dark Roads LP
The roots of SAINTS OF LORAIN are clearly drinking from the shore waters of Lake Erie because this is clearly scuzzy Cleveland punk/hardcore that can only come from a specific Rust Belt area that can have a good time in the face of overwhelming sorrow and self-doubt. Musically, the twelve songs on Those Dark Roads aren’t anything that you haven’t heard before, although where this style can often fall into nihilistic partying and semi-violent songs, SAINTS OF LORAIN have a humanity, weight, and honesty in these little nuggets that’s more in tune with community and friendships lost too soon. Lyrically, most of the songs are clouded around very personal experiences and anchored by local landmarks that impacted their lives. For a debut LP, I think this is a great start.