Cattle Drums

Cattle Drums are a post-hardcore band from Oneonta, New York. Reminiscent of Bear vs. Shark and At the Drive-In, The Boy Kisser Sessions, their debut EP, is a breath of fresh air in the currently stale post-hardcore scene. Cattle Drums aren't some crude imitator of their idols though; they incorporate a variety of influences into their sound, notably punk, emo, and blues. "Two Pigeons", "Borvg the Nag", and "New Furniture and Wigs" display each of these, respectively. Because of this culmination of genres, Cattle Drums' sound is wholly their own, devastatingly unique, especially now with both At the Drive-In and Bear vs. Shark defunct. Yet Cattle Drums aren't solely musically inventive, lyrically and vocally they are quite creative as well. Vocalist Sam Judd doesn't rely on typical screamo or emo vocals commonly strewn throughout the post-hardcore genre. Instead he yelps, talks, barks, and sing-speaks his way through the EP. This combination of vocal styles helps to best convey Cattle Drums' intricate, sometimes nonsensical, bordering on brilliant lyrics.

In addition, Cattle Drums recently released three new songs: "Just the Right Height", "All the Electric Secrets of Hell", and "I Know Who Killed Me". The first is one of their more aggressive songs, employing Judd's harsh shouts for most of the track. The second commences with the line, "Uh-oh, I've been waiting up all night/For something sweet to crawl in my mouth", later repeated at the beginning of the second verse, leading into a noisy, wonderfully discordant chorus. The track is tumultuous, in the very best sense of the word, throughout, concluding with 30 seconds of ambiance, a sort of recovery period for the listener. And the third, "I Know Who Killed Me", brings to mind "Hear, Hear."-type La Dispute, comprised of spoken word and bare instrumentation, before breaking out into a meaty riff and overlapped vocals. In short, this is an incredible band that I strongly recommend to any and all readers of Muzik Dizcovery. They won't disappoint. Also, look for a full length from them in the latter half of this year.

Bandcamp with stream of The Boy Kisser Sessions

Free download of "Sluts and Coconuts" (right click and press "Save video")

Myspace