Reclus.É may be a fairly new band, but between Daniel P. Carter and Soren Bryce there’s a wealth of experience that has gone into the project’s musical foundation. Carter has been a part of the likes of A, Hexes, Krokodil, and Bloodhound Gang over the years while Bryce has been exploring a wide range of alternative influences under the tummyache name. Given that experience, it makes sense that Reclus.É’s debut The World Can’t Take Much More feels like a fusion of dreamy, reflective alternative stylings and more aggressive post hardcore and punk. It’s the type of album that gets under your skin with darker, shimmering melodies but also has plenty of bite, and the two sides collide in ways that make for a dynamic and engaging listen.
What drew me to Reclus.É is how well the aggressive and melodic elements balance each other out, as opener “A Muted TV” has a much bolder lead riff that has more of a punk edge to it but then moves to a much softer and drearier melody that feels much more alternative rock and post hardcore sonically. But the softer lulls are broken up periodically by occasional bursts of more aggressive riffing as well as soaring melodies. From here the duo goes very alternative for the next two tracks, as “Stain” comes through like a cross between the more wistful and airier hooks of 90s alternative alongside the subdued melodies of emo, while “Golden Ratio” has a bit more of a post hardcore slant to its booming drums and slightly more jagged playing. Given some of the bite that the initial singles had, I was surprised the first time through how much of the material skews towards the somber and slower end of the spectrum but Reclus.É does this extremely well and the songs continually draw you in with their shimmering leads. Sometimes this treads into shoegaze territory while “All Bark No Bite” heads into the type of moodier post punk and gothic rock as The Cure, and no matter where the band goes the guitar work offers hooks that stick with you. On the aggressive side of the spectrum, The World Can’t Take Much More has short bursts of punk and louder post hardcore on tracks like “Isolationist”, “Fire With Fire”, and “Dogs” which showcase just how aggressive and raw things can get when Carter and Bryce want them to. I appreciate these rapid-fire bursts of more straight forward aggression, and where some bands that have tried this in the past haven’t nailed the transitions from loud to soft, things feel seamless here. I’d actually like to hear them explore even more of this direction and continue to integrate it in with the breezier alternative, as the two sides work well.
Upon pressing play, “A Muted TV” greets you with jagged screams that cut through the recording, but these last for only the first thirty seconds before Soren Bryce transitions over to a much softer singing pitch. There’s a sense of fragility and reflection to these moments that hit a little differently from tummyache, as with Reclus.É things have a bit more mournful tone and shift between subdued, fragile pitches and soaring peaks where Bryce’s words fill all the space on the recording. Considering the first thing you hear is screaming I was anticipating that element playing a bigger role on The World Can’t Take Much More, but that makes each burst hit a bit harder as it isn’t quite as predictable. The pitch isn’t the same, but the interplay between the harsh and melodic vocal work reminds me of the direction Gouge Away went on their more recent work. Stylistically the softer moments remind me of a whole slew of 90s bands, giving Reclus.É a sound that’s nostalgic in some ways but framed in a way that feels fresh.
With Reclus.É Daniel P. Carter and Soren Bryce have combined their respective musical backgrounds and pushed outwards into new territory. Their debut spans a wide range of styles, sometimes going for straight-up punk and noisier post hardcore, while other times opting for breezier alternative rock and shimmering shoegaze. But no matter where they choose to go, the duo gives listeners memorable riffs and dynamic vocals and this gives the album quite a bit of staying power. There is room to expand the hardcore punk side a bit more and continue to fuse it with the softer, fragile moments, but this is an impressive foundation they can build from and one I see myself returning to often. The World Can’t Take Much More is available from Rise Records.
-Review by Chris Dahlberg