New Music – Fall To Despair

While the first few minutes might be disorganized, frantic, and utterly daunting, You Must Relax by Bellrope is a capturing record that spans five-tracks into nearly an hour of material. From shouts and shrills in the opening greeting to the march into bitter and frigid cold near the record’s end, Bellrope is punishing through all walks of You Must Relax’s life.

As grains of salt and sand that are pushed into the open wounds with ambiance and harsh noise based “Hollywood 2001 / Rollrost” where audible torture is the verdict. Inflicting misery and detrimental malignant pain while the levels of the recording are pushing the red breaking points. As horrid cries are finally then transferred into the first foundational track where instruments are being used as devices of creation rather than destruction, “Old Overholt” still manages a theme of a sinking ship. The chaos of rushing passengers of either mosh pits, mobs, or confused listeners take form as Bellrope issues a beating that contrasts to the bright album artwork.

The bottom half of a jaw sits under a what seems like rain with a pink exterior, the bruised and battered amplifiers take most of the abuse throughout You Must Relax. Similar to a crushing amount of distortion by ways of The Body, but with their own direction, Bellrope takes sludge and sculpts a Van Gogh. Abstract in delivery and design, the materials, however, are standard. You Must Relax makes aggressive advancements and wants to hurt, achieving a status of unapologetic displays and substantial sound. A highpoint is found through murky distortion on the strings and vocals which can distinguish a home underneath the surface while the looming percussion is slower, often times matching well in this symbiotic relationship.

Nothing spells pure hatred quite like the title-cut “You Must Relax” that holds shouted lyrics as tension continues to build before breaching through like mighty water in a dam. The burst of pressure stays a consistent theme without showing much in ways of sympathy or reprieve. As the hurt will go on, so will Bellrope’s conquest for implementing the frightened corners of torment and suffering. Surprisingly, You Must Relax is a perfect record for trying to light your own house on fire or trying to start a circle pit in the living room. It invokes motion and begs to be played at high volume.

Though the first few moments might throw a few listeners off, do not be afraid to dig deeper and find one of the heavier records 2019 has to offer. It is not experimental in the ways of sequencing or in production, but it takes methods and makes an excellent addition into the dooming, menacing, and ultimately threatening.

Listen To You Must Relax Here!!! – BandCamp/Spotify/Amazon/iTunes