Top of the Shock: PAT 626’s Top 5 Tracks of September, 2022
Top of the Shock is PAT 626’s monthly roundup of songs which blew them away during the previous month’s episodes of Subculture Shock. These 5 tracks refused to be played without comment, and PAT wants to make sure that if you missed an episode or two, you didn’t miss these gems.
September begins the final push of 2022 as bands rush to release albums and singles in time to be considered for Halloween playlists and “Best of the Year” lists. At no point this month did I have any dead space on the show; often the releases from one week bled into the next. What a perfect month to start my top 5 monthly countdowns; it was easy to lose great tracks among so many other winners. So here are five you shouldn’t have missed, because goddamn they made my month special.
source: ashesfallenmusic.bandcamp.com
5. Ashes Fallen - New Normal
If you need proof that it’s possible to update a classic sound, look no further than Ashes Fallen. What starts as a familiar-sounding goth progression shifts and breaks until it’s hard to believe I’ve only been listening for three and a half minutes. James Perry continues to prove that specificity is key when writing political lyrics: calling out our current economic conditions but also grilling our exhausted apathy towards them.
source: caustic.bandcamp.com
4. Caustic x grabyourface - Not Your Body
Speaking of politics, it’s no surprise that current conditions have given rise to a “chant song” renaissance, and who better than grabyourface to provide the lyrical artillery and blunt delivery as they lead the charge. Meanwhile Matt Fanale completely reworks “MMM Papscraper I Love You,” into a protest song for every person who faces oppression for the “crime” of being able to give birth. The result: me begging both of them to release an album together already.
source: blacknitecrash.bandcamp.com
3. Black Nite Crash - In Time
This one’s cheating a little. It wasn’t the suggested single and the album doesn’t come out until October 14, but listen to the song during the episode I premiered it and you’ll understand why finding this song on the album gave me no choice. Guitar feedback carries us into a sluggish anthem as much about exhaustion as determination. All the classic hooks and solos are here, but there’s a weariness that gives the song the emotional gravitas to stand out. This isn’t a pop song that sticks in your memory but a gentle tug on your heart that never lets go.
source: darkswoon.bandcamp.com
2. Darkswoon - Bloom Decay
I’ve only played two Darkswoon songs on Subculture Shock, yet I now recognize their sound immediately. There’s a calm to “Bloom Decay,” reminiscent of The Cure’s ability to soothe us even as the lyrics rip holes into our barriers to demand vulnerability, but an Einstürzende Neubauten-esque percussion disturbs the mood in the most delightful way. As the wall of sound builds to the song’s conclusion, all but the vocals wash together and it’s hard to tell whether this is a cocoon or a trap. It doesn’t matter; we wouldn’t want to leave anyway.
source: minuitmachine.bandcamp.com
1. Minuit Machine - So Hard
What was that I was saying about chant songs? Hélène de Thoury administers a club burner, but the lyrics pervert the usual push to action common in these tracks to instead ponder giving up. This is chant-song-catharsis; we don’t want to feel these feelings, but Amandine Stioui’s delivery pokes them with a stick, demanding we sing along and face them. It’s a rare bird that transforms a dance club into a group therapy session where we empty our souls to the beat, but these two are no strangers to turning pain into hits.
Did Pat miss a September track that changed your life? Leave a comment below telling them why it’s good and they’ll check it out. And don’t forget to catch Subculture Shock every Sunday at 10pm E / 7pm P on Twitch to find your new favorite for October.
