Today we are thrilled to bring you the premiere of the new album by Philadelphia-based punk rockers False Tracks! The album is called Hymn For Terror and features fourteen rocking new tracks. We caught up with the band to hear their track-by-track breakdown and you can read that below! Hymn For Terror will be out everywhere on January 26 via Strange Mono Records. Proceeds from the record will be going to collective mutual aid initiative Homies Helping Homies. Listen to the album below!
Hymn For Terror Track-By-Track Breakdown ”Suspended Animation”
Home is where you wake up. This song is dedicated to the tardigrades that are stuck on the moon in suspended animation (due to a recent lunar landing mishap). We recorded the core tracks live and supercharged this one in post. We spent some time building the vocal tracks with Jeff Zeigler. The way Jamie's backing vocal previews the chorus adds to the sort of energy-build in the verse and previews the release that comes later. Someday those tardigrades may wake up and they will be pissed. We hope this song brings them comfort.
”Disappear at Dawn”
A spy chronicle from the perspective of an interdimensional agent that was left behind. There are echoes of Living in Darkness-era Agent Orange in the opening guitar riff. The original feel on the demo was leaning more T-Rex/Roxy, but the spy-themed lyrics warranted something different. At its core, a simple riff, but this song really grew up in the studio. Jeff brought out the best in this mix and now it’s one of our faves to play. The layering of vocal parts at the end makes for a hypnotic outro.
”Who Will Reveal Their Secrets First?”
They will hold you for ransom while you lose yourself in a maze of habits. Definitely some Flying Nun/Postcard influence coming through on this one. This song was composed in the strange between-time of the pandemic and was demo-ed on an unplugged electric guitar and a cardboard box drum via a phone mic. Some elements in the recorded song still reflect that microphonic energy. The guitars really wander and weave around, and work well with the vibraphone in the middle bit
”Wet Market”
A visit to a back-alley wet-wiring racket; becoming cyborg. The instrumental demo for this one was labeled “wet market.” The phrase came up in the news a lot at the beginning of the pandemic. For the lyrics, Greg misread the reference and went straight to Haraway and Gibson to explore a cyborg future (or present). How it is presented on the LP is basically how it sounded on that day in the studio. Jeff gave us a rough cut of this, and we didn’t want to change a thing, its chaos is its strength. There’s a riff/drum/bass structure at the core but also an element of improv which allows the song to be born anew with every performance. Jayme also played a power drill.
”Dandelion”
A moment of realization while being pushed through space/time on solar winds. If we had to pick a favorite, maybe this would be it. If you listen on headphones, you’ll hear the multiple shadow vocals that may not come across in the open air. The vocal sound for this one was influenced by “Bedazzled” by Drimble Wedge and the Vegetations, and maybe some Bowie. Recording this one definitely helped us realize how to best interpret this live.
”Dark Room”
Confronting the unknowable. It’s a black box. This one is a stream of consciousness that grew into its own thing. It’s all built off one chord. It’s the longest piece we’ve ever recorded. That process was a black box as well. We walked into the studio that day and on the way out someone slipped this recording into our pocket. We saw what went in, and this is what came out, but how it happened, no one knows. This song is presented on the album in practically the same shape it was the day it was put down. Jeff sprinkled some Loop dust on this one and here we are.
”Taste the Wall”
A ghost marks an ominous territory with everyday objects. It surrounds you. This one really came together in the studio. It was a new song when we went in and maybe that helped because there was no preconception of what this should be. Jayme birthed that fade in, and it slides so sneakily into the song.
”Damnation Trance”
An ancient astronaut falls in love with an automaton and sees straight through to the end of everything. For this song, the band imagined they are stranded on a distant space station at the edge of the galaxy and their sole companion is an AI programmed only with Motorhead, Budgie, and Blue Cheer songs. The earth explodes. They have a spaceship shaped like a motorcycle.
”Bubblegum Runaways"
A population lost in space follows archaic instructions after wasting its resources. They wander the galaxy and cannot remember why. Mike played both analog and electronic drums to get that primal/spacey haze. Greg had just watched The Wandering Earth when the time came to write lyrics. We wanted it to sound as if we were hearing a song that was being broadcast from across the universe. An unrecognizable and severely effect-ed field recording of a soccer match is weaved into the recording.
”Flooding of the Nile”
Time is marked by ritual and violence. All will be buried in water and sand. The lyrics initially were written as an alphabetical poem experiment and were unceremoniously rearranged to suit the song. The second verse and part of the chorus are still in alphabetical order. Jello Biafra’s DK vocals were one among many influences that pop in and out of this one. The song is inspired by Wafaa El-Nil and the Coptic ritual of throwing a martyr’s relic into the Nile. Shortest song on the album at 1:41, this song burns up pretty quick.
”Fragmentary Whispers”
An agent is held captive and watches their abductors closely for a chance to escape. The demo for this one sounded like the Sneetches but got swampier the closer we got to recording it. This one is fun to play because there’s a lot of space to explore in the live setting, and therefore room to play something new. Depending on the day, this one can sound quite different from the recording.
”This Time Tomorrow”
Kinks cover, floating through space and time. We just like the song.
”Darker Room”
Something brushes past you in the darkness. An instrumental reprise and the conclusion of the Dark Room saga. The two tracks are actually one long piece that would clock in at over 9 minutes when played end-to-end. We’ve broken it up into easily digestible pieces for you.
”Hymn for Terror”
A lullaby that can be used to ward off monsters and to quiet the anxiety brought on by the impending and the inevitable. Sometimes we can’t sleep so things like this take shape. This was supposed to be a song about werewolves but grew into a general talisman against those that would do you harm. Jayme’s feedback track is our new lullaby. Jamie's demo of the song was labeled ”Hymn for Tara” and was misheard as “Hymn for Terror.” The new name suited the song, and eventually the album.