Exclusively DIY

Urochromes is a punk band from New York City. It’s difficult to look them up online, however, as their online presence is next to nothing. No Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. Their record label, Wharf Cat Records, has mentioned them a few times on their Facebook page. They do have a BandCamp and SoundCloud page where you can stream their music. The last release was an EP, Night Bully, in 2017. Now they are releasing a full length album, Trope House.

Refusing to have any social media presence in 2019 is a bold move. One can only speculate that doing so serves an unknown purpose. Perhaps they intend to remain local? Or perhaps they wish to be the best-kept secret that only true music scene people will know about, thus adding to their exclusivity. Even though they are going on tour, they may find themselves at a disadvantage when fans from out of town attempt to look them up, only to find disappointment. However, DIY and grassroots are beloved themes for punk bands. Surely there can be no fault in that.

“Hair So Big” starts off with driving drums. The drums are so heavy, in fact, that the bass and rhythm guitar is almost hidden behind them. Underneath the rest of the instrumentation is a lead guitar line that feels far off in the distance. The song has a few unique features, such as a call and response of back up vocals and some kind of xylophone see at 0:46 and 1:38 in the song.

“Resist Psychic Death” is probably the best track on the album for a number of reasons. The song features tempo and mood changes. The vocals have an interesting echo effect to give the song a psychedelic feel. With the kid taking the center stage as the main singer, the song takes an eerie turn. Could it be implying that kids have a stronger psyche to understand complex issues? Or maybe the singer just wanted to let his family to be involved with this song? Either way, adding the innocent voice of a child is an attention grabber.

Overall, Trope House by Urochromes is raw, unrefined and chaotic. The vocals are often distorted with various effects, the drums are muffled and the guitars sound thin. That is likely due to a DIY style of recording. Despite lacking quality in production, they bring a lot of energy and display it with confidence.