Low Levels
Low Levels (independent)
With the days getting shorter and the nights getting longer, we Vancouverites could use something to get excited about. Sadly, the city’s empty dancefloors bear witness to the fact that many of us would prefer to “Netflix and Chill” than partake in the pure visceral ecstasy of having one’s face melted off.
Vancouver’s Low Levels, however, live for that thrill, and on their debut self-titled EP, they share their contagious energy over the course of seven blistering songs.
The pedigree of this band is impressive: frontman Al Boyle is a former member of WPP, You Say Party and Hard Feelings; drummer Byron Slack currently shares his talents with Invasives and the Hanson Brothers; bassist Emily Jayne comes by way of Montreal’s Devil Eyes.
Together as Low Levels they have created 20 minutes of hard-hitting post-hardcore that while highly technical, never feels self-indulgent. Boyle’s vocals are contrasted perfectly by Jayne’s as the pair trade-off on screaming duties. Similarly, Jayne’s rock-steady bass lines provide the perfect counterpoint to Boyle’s frenetic guitar work. Holding everything together, meanwhile, are the absolutely savage drums of Mr. Slack, who ensures the band starts and stops on a dime, every time.
The EP opens with the reflective “Ultramarine”, a defiant confessional over a driving beat that compels you forward with the chant, “I’m searching for what I’m searching for.” On “Vintage”, Low Levels offer a glimpse of what At The Drive-In might have sounded like had they grown up in Washington, DC, instead of El Paso, Texas.
The album’s high point, however, is the flawless “Strip Mall”; a minute and 32 seconds of absolute dance-punk perfection that’s so energetic and catchy you won’t be able to help yourself from singing along.
Who knows, maybe it’ll even get you out on the dance floor.
