So Pitted - neo

So Pitted
neo
2016
Spotify

You really don't find yourself coming across an album like So Pitted neo these days. Production is so tight and easily accessible that going the grungy low budget way has to be a very direct choice. That is a choice that So Pitted have made with this record, and done so with the full aggression that their sound embodies. As punk rock goes this is some of the angriest you will hear. neo comes across as a full rage spiral with each band member building off the other to be faster, stronger and have their music make more of an impact. "woe" is a head bangers delight with a beat that puts a beat on the floor that you cannot help but rage to. It is quite cliché to say that a punk rock song is a release but that sentiment is quite palpable on this record. Each track could end with a huge inhale after all the blood sweat and tears that have been poured into each note. What So Pitted do a bit differently than classic punk however is bring in new distortions, and a more varied approach to what is usually a very classic and basic genre. Singer Nathan Rodriguez doesn't so much sing, but more growls each world out. His disdain for you and everything else color every inch of their music like someone who really does not give a shit if you hear it or not.

neo as a punk album is so very raw it even makes punk look a bit light and breezy. At only 28 minutes long it strikes quick and moves on never dwelling on any one thing to long. What is interesting is when punk bands want to get more aggressive they usually move into a hardcore sound, but you would never peg So Pitted as hardcore instead of getting faster and bigger their sound gets darker are brooding. This music is for a club with a low ceiling, $2 PBRs and stickers over every inch of the bathroom. Your can visualize where these songs were created so clearly, almost like a soundscape but in no way ambient. What is really interesting is how well they group works together. There are no guitar solos or full out vocal runs instead the band moves as a unit pushing one message and one message only forward. So Pitted are relentless throughout the record and do not let up until the very last second of the album, the last track perhaps being one of the more all out crazy ones. For those in to punk rock this is a new take that is exciting and new even if it is dark as hell. If you are ever in need of a soundtrack for some destruction you have found your band in So Pitted and album in neo.

7.0 out of 10