Earlier this year, PLYERS released their extreme, genre-straddling debut EP ‘CLEAR’, a 25-minute whirlwind that ebbs and flows between skramz-esque punk, electronic noise textures, and mathcore grooves. When the band aren’t exercising in meditative ambience, they’re blazing through some of the most abrasive blasts of rough guitars, fierce drumming and animalistic vocals. While the concept of this band’s music seems tangled, the end result of Clear is direct and hard-hitting.
Henry Rollins once said about noise band Wolf Eyes: “I have a great deal of time for all of these noise terrorists – it’s modern avant-meets-stoners in a basement… It’s so underground that it has to have integrity.” These wise words put our thoughts towards PLYERS perfectly – cool dudes making weird shit, what’s not to love about that?
The three members of PLYERS have kindly given me a dense and adventurous Experimental/Punk Mixtape. It’s information like this that helps justify the means of the band, and greatens our appreciation of it.
1. No Trend – Two Seconds
“Most bands can only emulate the distain for humanity No Trend genuinely possess. Pure Dissonance.”
2. Supermax – Ain’t Gonna Feel
“Equal parts intoxicating and transient, with synth leads I will remain in ore of for the rest of my life.”
3. Captain Beefheart – Lick my Decals Off, Baby
“Crucial listening and THE song we tried to cover in our first rehearsals as a band.”
4. Nurse with Wound – Soliloquy for Lilith
“Ok I’m cheating here- This is actually an album, but you have to listen to it from start to finish. Timeless drone album. Go to bed with it.
5. Fushitsusha – まだ光となずけられない者
“This and everything on P.S.F Records. Keiji Hano and band prevailing in a more experimental jazz sound here.”
6. Chrisma – C.Rock
“70s Italian Kraut brilliance. Listen every day for six months and it will become your biorhythm”
7. Barcode Population – All Aboard the U.S.S. Severe
“Surprised no one else has included this actually. A recent PLYERS mantra of sorts.”
8. Menstruation Sisters – Give Blood
“One of my Favourite local bands (Ombachi, Kamvissis and Walls). They rarely play and I food poisoned the shit out of myself the day they did earlier this year. It remains a sore point. Expression over form.”
9. The Screamers – 122 Hours Of Fear
“Total mindblower, so badass. So much attitude.”
10. Slayer – Black Magic
“Ultimate thrash attack by the kings of thrash”
11. Dystopia – Hands That Mould
“Nothing quite like being growing up with this as your anthem. Full Power!”
12. Man is the Bastard – Gourmet Pez
“Legendary band, so hard to pick one.”
13. ACXDC – Turtle Power
“Get your boogie board out and score some mosh barrels mayne….t.”
14. Hank Wood and the Hammerheads – The Ghost
“Probably the best band going round at the moment. Can’t stop listening to them, super exciting band.”
15. Ancestors – That Which I Should Have Done I Did Not Do
16. Black Flag – My War
“The First Black Flag song i heard as a teen, I was instantly hooked, such a great Dukowski track. Kinda funny he didn’t even play on the record version.”
17. True Radical Miracle – The Index Extends
“Opening track from a favorite Australian release. Always reminds me of those suffocating hot summer nights. One of the loudest bands I’ve ever seen.”
18. Triage – Secret War
“I don’t know much about Triage, pretty sure they’re Canadian and no longer around. This 7″ is a great punk / classic metal crossover. This was really influential on the most recent phase of Plyers”.
19. Some Girls – Deathface
“Two drummers and one riff with Ape yelled over and over and over. What’s not to love?”
Written by Max Jacobson
PLYERS – CLEAR is out on Bandcamp on Art As Catharsis and Trait.
“Plyers’ Clear is one of the best punishments you’ll have all year. This record is an unapologetic deliverance of chaotic, perplexing and freakish noise-rock, with a heavy emphasis on noise.” – BEAT Magazine
“‘Clear‘ sees Plyers move wildly between moments of gritty post-punk, harsh, crusty and grinding experimental noise, warbling drones of synth, abrasive drumming and screeching, ear-cutting feedback. Y’know, the good shit!” – Kill Your Stereo
