Le Rug
‘Harold Camping / Dead In a Hole’
Fleeting Youth Records
You may not yet be aware of Ray Weiss, but rest assured, after hearing these two tracks you will not be forgetting him any time soon.
Recognised for his work with the excellent Brooklyn band, Butter The Children, the singer and guitarist’s own post-punk project, Le Rug, are gearing up for a new album of noise titled Press Start (The Collection). Better still, these carpet beating maniacs have shared two whacked out new tracks to get us all excited.
From first listen, ‘Dead In A Hole’ confirms you’ve struck musical gold. The comforting chords that open up this ditty set you at ease before flicking the switch to full on, four-to-the-floor commotion. After an adequate ear-hammering, you’re thrown back down the gloomy alleyway of instrumentation. Accompanied by Weiss’ warped vocal that offers a strangely consoling presence when atop the warbling synths, before shredding you to pieces, plunging back in to his screeching chorus mantra, “I’m dead in a hole”.
‘Harold Camping’, the ‘A’ side of the pair, creeps in with a sneaky bassline before unleashing a shrieking chorus. Seeping back into a trumpet infused verse, Weiss keeps up his knack for carefully misplaced instruments, inducting some horror movie style keys and dissonant guitar stabs to keep this frantic song on course.
Put the questions surrounding the band’s name aside, and these two tracks will undoubtedly find their way into your subconscious and haunt you all week. Weiss keeps things manic and unexpected, with huge dynamic changes, slapping you in the face when you least expect it, but there’s a presence of control and thought in every bar. Naturally, Le Rug will appeal to those who enjoy something a little bit different, but immerse yourself into these songs for a while, and you’ll appreciate how such a warped mixture of sounds can be channelled into satisfaction.
Press Start (The Collection) is released June 17th via Fleeting Youth Records.
Dave Palmer