Drug Church on Big Riffs, Weezer Clones, Mike Patton's "World Class" Trolling

PT KONTAK PERKASA - "I would put Mike Patton as world-class troll, but also maybe a sociopath," says Drug Church's Patrick Kindlon with a laugh. "And I can't compete with that. I can troll to an extent, I can tease the audience to a certain place."

PT KONTAK PERKASA - The singer is reflecting on Faith No More's epic frontman in relation to his own predilection for getting a rise out of audience through his occasionally confrontational, often irreverent and generally hilarious streams of consciousness that make up his stage banter, social-media presence and lyrics.

His willingness to say whatever the fuck he's thinking is are rarity in 2019's heavily scrutinized media landscape, but Kindlon doesn't pull any punches onstage and on record. Sometimes his antics get him in trouble (his headier band Self Defense Family has been criticized, and by Kindlon's estimation, blacklisted for being too "masculine"). But it's exactly his eagerness to call shit out on Drug Church's latest LP Cheer that helps make it a refreshing listen. He points directly at self-righteous punks that wish to take him down in "Tillary," yelling "No Gods, No Masters you sing but you sure love playing police."

Released in 2018 on Pure Noise Records, Cheer is a pipe bomb of late-Nineties big-room rock music filtered through a bunch of Albany hardcore kids. The poppy-yet-chunky guitar work is able to quickly snap between thoughtful and sugary. The divergence between fun music and yelled vocals creates a push-pull dynamic that ties the record together.

Video of Drug Church "Avoidarama" Official Music Video

In fact contradiction is intrinsic in Cheer. After seven years, Drug Church have dropped a big, accessible hook-filled record that still serves up some acerbic commentary — which has surprised more than a few longtime fans (as well as some close friends). "I played this new Drug Church record for Self Defense and they said it sounds like Sum 41 and POD," says Kindlon. "There's a lot of stuff going on in there that isn't what people think of me as playing. But I've always said that, look, you trust your band mates; if they kick out a ska song, you fucking sing on a ska song."

Lead single "Weed Pin" uses a gig as a scientific assistant as a metaphor for having no idea what to do when you have no skills. "Unlicensed Hall Monitor" calls out those online looking to moralize any poor decision by a public figure, when they themselves are guilty of far worse things in their own lives. The reflection is all set to driving, massive guitar riffs and a generally upbeat kind of playing that ironically mirrors the dissonance that Kindlon lyrics confront. "Unlicensed Hall Monitor" criticizes the criticizers and scene cops, calling out the guy with "a search history darker than a sea trench telling you how to live."

Cheer is a record for the now, a siren of fed-up emotions towards those around him, though done with wit and restraint. We spoke to Kindlon about the new record, trolling the masses and more.

Source : revolvermag.com