This is Post Hardcore that is totally astounding. Soaring guitars swirl with intentionality and intensity to the heights, upward. Upward. And then upward still more. But it isn’t a gentle floating sensation. It’s a tense and intense upward rising that creates a sense of freedom as much as it does fear.
My body remembers the sensation of the beloved annual County Fair, that one ride I thought I could handle in the pain and strain of maturing. It seemed like an unavoidable Rite of Passage. It didn’t look that far from the ground. Buckled in–and surely nothing could go wrong– as the machine climbed higher and higher, I felt both free from the earth’s gravity, while the erect hair on my arms disclosed that I was afraid of falling. The tension mounted as the climb continued. That’s the feeling of the lead electric guitar expressions in this stunning new song Silence from American band Design Flaw.
I guess that’s not much of a technical review. I just can’t stand on the outside of this song, assessing it from a distance. It’s an immersive experience. The fervency of the percussion work makes my ground shake. Emotive, passionate layers of vocal delivery blend in with the expression of the guitars as if it’s all one seamless whole. I even have a hard time distinguishing the components; it’s all so cohesive and splendidly saturating. It’s hardcore with plenty of melody. If you aren’t in love with Screamo, this is an excellent invitation into the passion and intensity of post, alternative rock without the dark edge and aggression of vocal screaming that might not be your style.
If you think hardcore is only overwhelming guitars and chaos of sound without meaning, Design Flaw dispels your myth with downright poetic lyricism.
Where once there was silence
Now there’s a race
To fill every moment
With violent creation
It’s an unexpectedly vibrant space where philosophy meets art in musical expression. And guitars. Lots of hell-yes guitars.
Design Flaw is a post-hardcore band based in Washington, DC. Their second release Silence (Nov. 19, 2021) follows their debut release Ghost (Oct. 15, 2021). @designflawband
