Distant Populations

by Quicksand

Something I have grown to appreciate quite a bit as I get older as a musician, is to find those artists who are making music with vitality in a bracket of time outside of their most "classic" releases. While Slip and Manic Compression are rightful classics, both of the "latter era" Quicksand records (Interiors, and now Distant Populations) stand as examples of interesting evolution for the heavy-groove post-hardcore they have long been respected for. Distant Populations manages to play with the core ingredients in interesting ways: "Lightning Field" brings up the speed, while keeping the drop-D riffs intact; "Brushed" is a stunning blend of 90s "slightly gentler song by a heavy band" alongside a careworn tone throughout that can only be accomplished by a band well into their time together, who does not care about proving something to one scene or another. At times, these kinds of songs can feel like a cheap nod to radio play, or getting on a prestige TV soundtrack, but in this case, it is Quicksand showing the true depth of each of its members, and a confidence that its hardcore bona fides are not in question. Sonically, the album excels at updating its sonic approach to contemporary sounds: more room on the drums, the vocals aren't afraid to have filtering and delays at times, and the guitars tend to wash as much as they pierced on earlier Quicksand records. These elements still combine for potent heavy music, as in "Rodan," the lovely album closer: Schreifels voice is mature and distinct throughout, while the whole band locks into undeniable groove and a shoegaze-adjacent slam that takes the best of the bands long-eras of aggressive music into something sustainable, one hopes, for many more records to come.