Album Reviews

Lower Automation – Maps
8.0
 on
Thursday, March 31, 2016 - 07:58
submitted by
Thomas

- by Nate Hennon

Lower Automation’s debut EP, “Maps”, is relentless. This Chicago trio’s music is as if At the Drive-In and Braid decided to write the soundtrack to a car chase. Every song has layers of frenetic guitars, attention-grabbing vocals and drums that hit hard and leaves little room to breathe. “Maps” contains everything you want in an EP.

Lower Automation begins their sound exploration with “Ring”, “Decorated” and “Break Room Curators”. Each song conjures visuals of kids doing spin kicks and slam dancing in a crowded New Jersey basement. The last two songs, “The Cartographer” and “Scissor Lapses”, are more dissonant than their predecessors are, but they do not stray too far. Really interested to hear what they have in store for a full length.

Tom Dumarey
Tom Dumarey

Lacking the talent to actually play in a band, Tom decided he would write about bands instead. Turns out his writing skills are mediocre at best as well.