California band State Faults gets classified as post-hardcore, though the intense songs on the group’s 2012 debut, Desolate Peaks, felt more “hardcore” than “post.” But Desolate Peaks was hardly all bombast; the band could expertly create airy atmospheres, but seemed to take pleasure in collapsing them into a maelstrom of swirling guitars and Jonny Andrew’s shouted vocals. (The seminal Japanese post-hardcore band Envy is an easy comparison.)
The new Resonate/Desperate continues down that path, perhaps getting even a little more ferocious. “Amalgamation,” which The A.V. Club is streaming below, shows State Faults harnessing the power of restraint as it vacillates between a slow simmer and full boil.
No Sleep Records will release Resonate/Desperate on November 12, and pre-orders are available now.