From the very first driving chord to the final, lingering note, there is a bold insistence within I Hear You that wraps the listener up in Arbor Labor Union’s single-minded dedication to tone. It’s a dedication that rewards the audiophile and the stoner alike, but leaves precious little for the casual listener or soundbite consumer. This is a commitment built from passion rather than pretension, and may even come across as goofy unless you submit to the cascade of sound. But if you do, the realization of worth is immediate.
It obviously isn’t rare for a band to change when they are picked up by a big label; there are perhaps thousands of examples to the contrary. What is rare, especially for young bands who make the leap, is organic growth that seems unhindered by the label shift. To be sure, Arbor Labor Union’s new LP is a polished record, but the seeds from their songwriting as Pinecones have germinated in a linear fashion, rewarding those who were initially attracted to their circumspect post-punk.
Over nine driving tracks, the band doesn’t relinquish its hold. Even after seemingly endless repetition they wait patiently with an almost clinical focus for the simplest rhythms to reveal a grander reality. The record exists within a tightly wound universe, rarely straying from its coiled path for any psychedelic catharsis. But this makes the slight bursts of relief feel even more unruly. It also means that if you aren’t completely entranced by the end of the opening track, “Mr. Birdsong,” you probably won’t have a change of heart by time the band plunges into the cerebral closer, “IHU.”
The language of this LP is surprisingly celestial, a welcome balance to the decidedly temporal guitar work. At first glance, the lyrics are easy to lump in with decades of lazy psychedelia, but look deeper and you’ll find something more akin to the space-bound era of ’70s prog rock. I Hear You isn’t necessarily a concept record, but one could be forgiven for that misapprehension based simply on the band’s bio/press release, not to mention member titles like Captain Brain Atoms Starship IHU Mind Leader/Omega Kindess One.
Undoubtedly there are segments of I Hear You which could use an editor, but even the most repetitive melodies are never boring. The scenario is more akin to when a close friend takes a wonderful journey and just can’t stop talking about it upon their return. Maybe you nod along to their excitement, but at the end of the day you just wish you could have been there to experience their joy. In fact, joy is the emotion Arbor Labor Union seems most keen on communicating to the listener. Beyond the artsy songwriting, beyond the lyrical absurdities, beyond the slamming drums, there is simple joy that makes the listener say, “I hear you.”
I Hear You is out tomorrow via Sub Pop Records. You can stream the record in its entirety below.
More Info
Bandcamp: arborlaborunion.bandcamp.com
Facebook: @Arbor-Labor-Union-1656683511216436
Instagram: @arborlaborunion
Twitter: @ArborLaborUnion