Bygones - by- (Album Review)

 

Bygones - by-

(2009)


My copy: 2009 pressing on yellow vinyl by Sargent House


Bygones is a one off project created by Zach Hill (Hella, Death Grips, Nervous Cop, etc.) and Nick Reinhart (Tera Melos, Disheveled Cuss, etc.). If you’re familiar at all with the other projects of either of these two musicians then you’ll know exactly what you’re in for. “Cold Reading” lures us in with freaky vocals only to blast off into an insane cacophony that encapsulates almost the entire record. 

Seemingly nonsensical guitar riffs dance and slide while Hill furiously clobbers the drums. Time signatures may as well not exist for this duo. The music explodes and rapidly transitions like a snake desperately trying to shake off its skin. by- is an album all about messing with your understanding of conventional rock/pop music: there is an unending tension to nearly every track courtesy of Hill’s blistering percussion, and yet every now and then Reinhart will relent and give us a catchy halftime riff so as to commend our patience. 

The best songs on this album seamlessly blend the intense cacophonous passages with fun, pop influenced choruses or verses. “Nu Cringe” features an insanely addicting extended breakdown section that rewards us after an especially spastic first half. “Fool Evolved” has synth pop undertones, and makes use of heavy syncopation to build energy before a great chorus. “Up The Shakes” is the most conventional song, and is a ton of fun to sing along to. “Spray You With Your Own Trip” and “Expelled” are essentially one track, creating a symphony of noise-rock guitar and ambient synths in the end. 

Fans of other iconic math-rock albums will feel right at home, but there is a certain layer of nihilism to this record that gives it a different tone from any Hella or Tera Melos albums that precede it. Reinhart and Hill have engineered a math-rock apocalypse so to speak, completely tearing down conventions to create something that is equal parts obnoxious and amazing. The biggest flaw with this album is that it is entirely possible to get lost in the maximalist writing style, but Hill and Reinhart don’t care, which is admirable and punk as fuck. If you want to engulf yourself in fiery guitar and unreal drumming, dive straight into by-. This is a record for those who scoff at Hold Your Horse Is and want more insanity. 

Given that this is the only pressing (aside from a test press), it is moderately rare although it currently only goes for around 50 bucks on discogs.


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