Photo by Audrey Wilson
North/South Carolina heavy rock outfit SHUN will release their long-awaited new full-length, Dismantle, July 19th via Small Stone Recordings!
SHUN released their self-titled debut through Small Stone in 2021. Outlaws Of The Sun called the record, “a big adventure [that] takes the listener on an exciting journey within the vastness of progressive rock and stoner metal, “ while Sentinel Daily likened the record to Foo Fighters, “had they avoided a life of Hollywood openings and celebrity girlfriends, concentrating instead on year after year on the road with COC, Clutch, and Cave In… that’s a mighty fine something to sound like.”
Dismantle continues several crucial threads from the debut in terms of songwriting and the returning production of J. Robbins (who also contributes percussion, guitar, and synth), while expanding their scope with a more refined crunch and drifting, ethereal outreach. It is heavier and paints a broader landscape in Matt Whitehead’s vocal and guitar melodies, able to take a prog-metal chug in “Horses” and reshape it as the backdrop for weighted post-rock while refusing to sap its own vitality in service to shoegazey posturing.
Punk and noise rock such as Cave In and Hum feel like touchstones as much as Sabbath and whom- or whatever might’ve inspired the crush tucked at the end of “You’re The Sea,” and while Dismantle may hint as a title at notions of things coming apart, there’s as much being built in its ten tracks as is being destroyed. What results from the trio of Whitehead, bassist Jeff Baucom, and drummer Rob Elzey (Bo Leslie has since joined on guitar, re-completing the lineup) is material varied in its purpose but drawn together in traditional fashion by the electricity of its performances. The band-in-the-room feel in the methodical rollout of opener “Blind Eye” is all the more resonant with the debut having been remotely assembled during plague lockdowns.
Does that make Dismantle something like a second first album? Not really, but if it helps you get on board, you probably won’t get a ton of arguments. While Whitehead’s past in Small Stone denizens Throttlerod is still relevant to SHUN in some essential and riffy ways, SHUN steps forward with Dismantle and declares their meld of styles in tracks like “The Getaway” and “Interstellar” which are able to push, pull, crash down loud, or recede into float as they will. That they’d wield such command in their craft likely won’t be a surprise to those who took on the self-titled, but among the things Dismantle undoes, it strips the listener of expectations and replaces them with its unflinching creativity and refreshingly forward-looking take.
Comments Whitehead on the band’s first single, “‘Drawing Names’ was written in its entirety in under 30 minutes while jamming at our drummer’s house. I’ve found those quick-to-come-together songs that aren’t over-thought and overworked often turn out the best… go figure. The recording of the track was super fun and collaborative as well. I’ll never forget J. Robbins crouched down by my delay pedals turning knobs while I played one section. And then he later added a double tambourine part in the chorus which we absolutely loved.”
Stream SHUN’s “Drawing Names” at THIS LOCATION.
Dismantle, which features artwork by Alexander Von Wieding, will be released on CD, limited LP, and digital formats. Find preorders at THIS LOCATION.
Fans of Torche, Cave In, Alice In Chains, Failure, ASG, and huge riffs, pay heed.
Dismantle Track Listing:
- Blind Eye
- Aviator
- Horses
- Drawing Names
- Storms
- NRNS
- You’re the Sea
- The Getaway
- Through The Looking Glass
- Interstellar
SHUN – Dismantle Record Release Shows:
7/19/2024 The Odditorium – Asheville, NC
7/20/2024 Swanson’s Warehouse – Greenville, SC
7/26/2024 New Brookland Tavern – Columbia, SC
8/02/2024 185 King – Brevard, NC
SHUN:
Matt Whitehead – guitar, vocals
Rob Elzey – drums
Jeff Baucom – bass
Additional musicians:
J. Robbins – percussion, synths, guitar
Bo Leslie – guitar
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