See You Next Tuesday Distractions

With almost a decade of inactivity prior to the 2015 one-off reunion show that planted the seeds for their reformation, it’s definitely been quite a while since See You Next Tuesday have been wreaking havoc both on recordings and onstage. Their two previous full-length albums, Parasite and Intervals have gained a cult following in the years since their release, as many look back to the first decade of the 00’s as an exciting time in chaotic hardcore/metalcore music where it seemed like anything and everything was on the table from a sonic standpoint. Elements of everything from spastic screamo to head-caving grindcore and death metal made it’s sonic mark in that era of metalcore, with bands like Animosity, The Number Twelve Looks Like You and Through The Eyes Of The Dead still commanding thousands of loyal listeners to this day. With their third full-length, Distractions, SYNT has pulled off the rare comeback-album that is both an upgrade in songwriting and sonic evolution while also not lacking anything that gained them their following in the first place.

One of the first things I noticed when listening to Distractions is that the years have been kind to the members of SYNT and it’s very obvious that they’ve all evolved and strengthened their song crafting ability. This is easily the most memorable batch of songs the band has dropped, and clearly they mean business coming back around as they sound more ferocious and focused here than ever before. Modern production has also boosted their sound into the new era, with every aspect of the band’s chaotic sound hitting even harder. The heavy and dissonant guitarwork dances between shades of death metal, grindcore and mathcore, and is boosted significantly from a breakneck, hard-hitting rhythm section. In addition to the upgrade in songwriting, vocalist Chris Fox has put in what is easily his best performance on the band’s recorded efforts to date.

With the majority of the songs on Distractions running a few minutes at max—and under a minute in some cases—straight up intensity is the goal here for the majority of the time, and the band does a hell of a great job keeping things interesting throughout the record’s duration. Despite the brevity, every song has it’s own standout moments while never deviating from the intense and chaotic feel that permeates throughout the entire record. It’s controlled chaos to an extent, with moments that almost feel like SYNT could lose control in the face of unbridled intensity. Yet, they always seem to reel things back in at the last possible second, whether it’s a smooth transition into a catchy, groove oriented breakdown or melodic, almost black metal sounding guitar riff.

The sole exception to the album’s collection of shorter songs comes in the form of the devastating doom metal influenced closing song, “Strange Music”. Opening with a foreboding acoustic guitar passage, it doesn’t take long before some of the absolute hardest hitting moments of the album come forth, with massive riffs that wouldn’t sound out of place on a Primitive Man record. It’s a surprising end to an album that otherwise feels like it could be over in the blink of an eye, and a welcome one which brings in new dynamics and dimensions to the band as a whole.

Bottom Line: Comeback albums can always be hit or miss, especially when the band in question fit into such a specific sonic niche to begin with. With their new record, See You Next Tuesday have come back swinging with easily their most memorable material yet, and the extreme music scene is all the better with them being back in the saddle. The rare album that will please both longtime fans of the band and new listeners alike, Distractions serves up some of the more memorable chaotic hardcore of the past few years.