Review
Spokenest
We Move

Two piece bands seem to be gaining in popularity again, and it’s easy to see why from a musician’s perspective. The fewer people involved, the easier to organize, practice, and tour. There are duos done well (see Street Eaters) and lesser cases who aren’t getting the namedrop here. Spokenest is a newer project of similar ilk, bringing Adrian and Daryl of God Equals Genocide into a more intimate stage arrangement. Armed with guitar and drums, they rip out nine songs on this debut 12”, lasting all of 15 minutes.

The question going in was if the stripped down instrumentation would also mean stripped down songwriting and aggression. It only takes a couple of seconds to recognize that We Move isn’t a new approach for the two, just a new means of doing it. The record bears a lot of similarity to God Equals Genocide, who released Rattled Minds last year. The two trade-off on vocals throughout the songs, often alternating lines or verses rather than whole songs. Their voices are unmistakable, especially Adrian’s, in terms of comparisons with their other band, and the delivery follows similar, direct and a bit shouty vocals.

All that isn’t to say this is God Equals Genocide Lite. Sure, “Dinner” is a punk burner that features the pointed and lovely refrain of “Who calls the shots?/ Fuck you, that’s who,” and “Leave Me” isn’t that far off from GEG either. However, there’s more nuance behind the primary melody that pulls these songs in a new direction. The two-piece format and alternating vocals allows the band to include some 1990’s influence, albeit subtly, which gives a variance to the overall tone without halting the aggression. “See” is perhaps the most clear seep-through of this style, with a clear alt-rock progression that jumps momentarily into the song here and there throughout, but it never fully takes over and steers the song off its direct, punk rock coarse. It hints at a bit less predictability without actually throwing those in the pit out of their circular rhythms. “Sunshine” offers this as well, and I’ll slap the “indie pop” tag on it though, again, it’s more of an underlying thing that doesn’t change the tempo or style, but there’s a bit sunnier disposition at play.

We Move is an enjoyable record that captures and sticks to a well-defined sound. The brevity helps to play at the sometimes flat vocals, keeping them from wearing out their welcome, while maintaining that basement punk vibe that’s so endearing. Spokenest is a band I’d see live, should they come near, and it will be interesting to see what additional influences get pulled in as they grow.