Smashing off the 2019 release of their emotionally tense record Dog Whistle, Show Me The Body quickly gave witness to why they deserved their section of concrete. Even while the world seems to slowly disintegrate around them, Survive is the only mantra needed to push on.

Consisting of only three tracks and just coming barely shy of the 10-minute mark. Survive is a wake-up call, it really hits the head like an alarm on full ring, catching the listener both surprised for how much veracity and power that’s wound inside this package.

Opening with “Rubberband,” this is a track that immediately needs to be heard in a live setting. From climbing on the rafters at Now That’s Class in Cleveland, to being punched in the home state of New York, here is a track that combines the intensity of Corpus I with the dropkick of Body War.

There is a burning desire to continue on into the uncertainty as Show Me The Body marches through “Rubberband” like a rat in a maze. The listener follows along blind as the lyrics, “I wasn’t built for this Earth, understand me? It don’t make it better or worse” while the production ramps up to an unstoppable level. The bass on Survive especially is monumental and deserves this praise for being harsh, surrounded in a world of noise and exclaiming that thrives in the confusion.

Especially after the bottle-neck break that begins at the 1:50 timestamp, the speed might become a moment where mosh pits and circle pits start to spin. But when the track goes silent except for the anguishing and pulverizing bass at 2:20, it’s harrowing. Not much in forms of hope have hit the music scene in well over a year, and Show Me The Body makes more of a shallow burial instead of these feelings of rejuvenation. Rather than focusing on the hellscape, Survive is about cracking the casket and crawling through that dirt till the rays of the sun can be felt again.

Especially on the final title track “Survive” which was accompanied by a video with different faces shadowboxing and continuing to work through reps as drowned lyrics become further warped by distortion. The production becomes more and more closely related to the mental state which is foggy and seems impossible to follow a train of thought until those percussive smacks stomp forward and disrupt the crowded judgment.

The description takes face by illustrating, “I never cry watching pigs die, see you shedding tears, we’re not the same kind.” As Show Me The Body uses the strings to peel back the skin and expose the bone and marrow of the streets they walk, the final moments of shouts are explementary for being etched on the skin. “Fuck the pig war, bury the pigs. Fuck the pig war, bury the pigs,” as flames engulf the mix and only echoes of broken instruments and tattered vocals can be heard for miles.

Survive takes everyone’s frustration, the contemplating, the despair, and packs it all in a nearly ten-minute brutal jumping. Desperate for the live setting, Show Me The Body swings harder and cuts deeper as the days pile on.

Listen To Survive Here!!! – BandCamp/Spotify/iTunes