Empire State Bastard’s Newest Single “Moi?” Floats Between the Sultry and the Heavy
Ever since their reveal back in March, grindcore outfit Empire State Bastard have been a tough act to pin down. Described by Mike Vennart as “unabridged hatred in musical form,” the band’s vacillated between wild, frenetic beatdowns to groovy, almost doom metal vibes. Yet with their debut album Rivers of Heresy due for release on September 1, the band threw yet another curveball with their latest single “Moi?”
As you can hear in the clip below, the band drops its bare knuckle fistfighting facade and soothes with an almost sexy sounding opening behind a demure drum rhythm and bass section and an intriguing vocal line. And then they remember who the fuck they are and kick the door in. They occasionally pull things back just enough in the track to hit you with a steel chair across the face once again.
Speaking of the track, Simon Neil said “Moi?” is about that person in your life that’s perfectly fine being ignorant about how their actions and surroundings affect their lives.
“‘Moi?’ is about people who just no matter what you talk about — and I’m guilty of this at points – will never ever see the truth, even if you dangle it in front of them. Ignorance can feel like a badge of honour these days, with people being stubborn and not being willing to enlighten themselves. I cannot believe we’ve got to the stage where that’s to be cherished.”
Featuring Neil and Vennart as the masterminds, Empire State Bastard also features bassist Naomi Macleod (Bitch Falcon) and Dave Lombardo on drums. As highlighted in their singles, this band is wild and something more than just a grindcore band.
Rivers of Heresy is due for release on September 1, but you can preorder your copy today. The band also has a gig lined up at New York City’s Le Poisson Rouge on September 20, with Chat Pile coming out in surpport.
Empire State Bastard, Rivers of Heresy tracklist:
1. Harvest
2. Blusher
3. Moi?
4. Tired, Aye?
5. Sons and Daughters
6. Stutter
7. Palms of Hands
8. Dusty
9. Sold!
10. The Looming
