FEATURE
Lung and SKRT Erupt on Upcoming Split LP
Cincinnati-based cello-rock duo Lung and Dayton-based post-rock trio SKRT hook up to release a rip-snorting split LP, via Romanus Records.
Chris Banta, the man piloting Romanus Records, doesn’t believe anything is impossible when it comes to vinyl records: vivid colors, moving textures, candy-colored splatter, and neon glow-in-the-dark sand-filled vinyl transform Romanus’s recordings into works of art.
Set to drop April 10, the LP comprises five recorded live tracks from Lung and six brand-new tracks from SKRT.
SKRT began life as a queer-centric duo in a basement in Dayton, Ohio, followed by evolving into a no holds barred trio unleashing wild art-punk music. Made up of Asche (they/them), Abbie (she/her), and Micah (he/him), SKRT blends infectious melodies, brawny guitars, saw-toothed rhythms, and gutsy lyrics into raw, galvanizing songs.
SKRT has shared the stage with Ganser, Kitten Forever, Minority Threat, Screaming Females, Ringo Deathstarr, R. Ring, Dana, and Hissing Tiles, as well as headlining Ladyfest Dayton.
On their part, Lung consists of classically trained opera singer Kate Wakefield and Daisy Caplan, formerly of Foxy Shazam, Babe Rage, and Ayin. Performing for the first time in 2016, Lung has gone on to play more than 400 shows in North Americas, along with touring Europe in 2019, including Germany, Eastern Europe, and Scandinavia.
Remarkably, Lung primarily plays all-ages, non-bar venues because they believe everyone should have access to music.
Drummer Daisy Caplan explains, “To me, an ideal show is a collaborative effort between everyone present. Communication and exchange of ideas, musical and otherwise, drive the experience and can take everyone involved to some pretty fabulous places.”
When their East Coast tour with punk outfit Shellshag was cancelled because of the pandemic, Lung used their time well – writing songs for a new album and putting the finishing touches on an already-completed album.
Lung begins the album with “The City is Lying,” opening on dark, growling cello colors riding chopping percussion, and then rolls into a visceral, punk-flavored tune accented by strident, almost discordant textures. Kate’s voice, edgy with femme fatale timbres, cuts with eerie tonality.
Highlights from Lung include “What are you asking for?,” which travels on the moody, grating cello heavy with doom-like ambiance and serrated black punk washes of sonic energy. Spine-chilling and urgent, Kate’s voice imbues the lyrics with unnerving flavors.
“What are you asking for in turn / What are you asking for in return / Is it possible to give one for the other?”
“Stranger Now” showcases a trundling, viscous rhythm topped by thick cello coloration, dense and rumbling, while Kate’s spine-tingling voice shimmers with treacly vibrato.
SKRT commences with “Snowsuit For the Apocalypse,” traveling on blistering, fuzzed-out guitars and Thor-like percussion.
Don’t-miss tracks from SKRT include Trailer Trapeze, traveling on a driving rhythm as crunching guitars rage and fulminate overhead. Snarling, rasping vocals infuse the lyrics with impudent, sneering savors.
“Better get grown / No credit, overthrown / Mis-a-reckonin these, Miss-a-reckoning me / Aye, can’t fall asleep at night.”
The intro to “Black Adderall” sets nerves to twitching with crippling dark teeter-tottering tones, while grimacing vocals give the lyrics ominous tones.
“Little Rascal, watch ’em go / Off the walls, off the meds, don’t need the shit / You’re not an experiment.”
Both SKRT and Lung have it going on, letting loose crushing waves of sound at once electrifying and rife with primeval dynamics.
Lung Website | Facebook | Instagram | Bandcamp
SKRT Instagram | Facebook | Bandcamp
Romanus Records Website | Facebook | Instagram
