Horrendous 3 D - s/t 7"

Horrendous 3D: S/T 7” (Black Water Records) I was looking forward to this EP since Horrendous 3D’s previous EP was one of my favorite records in recent memory. I played that record to death, and I would have been happy with something just as good, but these five tracks are even better. Horrendous 3D leans into their strengths here, pushing the dynamic noise textures I loved on the first EP to even further extremes. What feels new this time around is a similarly meticulous approach to rhythm, the songs twisting and turning with a knotty, staggering quality that reminds me of Gauze. The whole EP is killer, but one track stands out: “Utterly Fucking Useless” is Horrendous 3D’s magnum opus. Starting with a passage of pure noise, a bass riff emerges and you think the song is going to head in one direction, but then the drums and guitar come in and it goes in the opposite direction, knocking me off balance in the best way possible. I’m doing a terrible job of describing it, but this moment gives me chills every time I hear it, and I’ve moved the needle back to hear it again several times. Just like their first EP, this is going to be close to my turntable for a long time. Undoubtedly one of the best records we’ll hear in 2022.