Something about the dark and weird music coming out of Finland lately has been gripping me hard. This Sunday, we find ourselves with another offering from the country where I want to be, although a decidedly different experience from the chill vibes of Virta. We Must Leave You, the new album by four-piece noise act Throat, paints a much bleaker picture of the world, but one that is still musically compelling in its own way.
Framing itself as a breakup album for the entire world, We Must Leave You is a bleak and hypnotic affair. The band’s bandcamp tags label this album as both “adult oriented noise rock” and “geriatric goth rock,” which tongue-in-cheek as they may be, do a decent job of preparing you for what lies within. Combining the chiming chorus-soaked guitars and crooning vocals of bands like Fields of the Nephilim with the explosive dynamics of noise and post-rock, Throat have created an album that succeeds at keeping the listener on their toes. Never content to stay in one place for too long, the songs here have plenty of oblique shifts in tone and genre frequently and often at points where one wouldn’t expect them to be. Normally, this isn’t something I enjoy in the music I listen to; I prefer something that is consistent all the way through so I can get into a good flow with the song. On We Must Leave You, however, the playful energy of the band’s performance, alongside smart composition choices, allow these changes to feel more fluid. Moments like the back-and-forth post-rock crescendo into post-punk groove in “The Transaction” lend an excitement to my listening experience rather than throwing me off of a groove.
We Must Leave You is an ambitious experiment, but it is pulled off here with both style and ease. There is a cool factor to these songs, from the attitude they exude to the lock-tight execution the four members of Throat display here. This album is perfectly in the wheelhouse of what I am really excited to listen to of late, and it comes with a strong recommendation.
— Vincent
We Must Leave You is available now on Svart Records. For more information on Throat, please visit the band’s official website.
Nine Circles 