While Philadelphia post-hardcore supergroup Bitter Branches are named after a quiet, contemplative PJ Harvey track on her 2011 album Let England Shake, their music couldn’t be more different. Following up on 2022’s provocatively titled Your Neighbors Are Failures, their second full-length album (the similarly provocatively titled Let’s Give the Land Back to the Animals), released earlier this spring, improves further on their formula laid down by the debut and their earlier 12” This May Hurt A Bit, with improved sonics due to the ever-reliable production touch of J Robbins.
In addition, other changes are afoot here, too. New bassist Dan Yemin (from Lifetime, Kid Dynamite, Paint It Black, et al.) makes his presence known immediately as well, giving the riffage of guitarists Matt Ryan and Kevin Somerville a suitable accompaniment similar to his predecessor Brian Kantorek. Musically, shades of ’90s Amphetamine Reptile style noise rock are present here, as always. Still, there is a more pronounced post-hardcore influence, with mid- to late-‘80s Chicago (Naked Raygun et al.) and Dischord/DC audibly present.
Given that the vocals are, of course, handled by Deadguy vocalist Tim Singer, and given what an immediately recognizable force his vocals are, it’s tempting to compare this band with that recently reformed juggernaut. And sure, in addition to the vocals, the usual creative and eye-catching artwork, and barbed observations on modern life in part justify that comparison. That said, this is a different beast entirely and shouldn’t be overlooked in light of Singer’s more high-profile other band. Yemin’s backing vocal call-and-response with Singer on the penultimate track “Fine Powder” is another notable difference here. Here’s hoping that the quality of this new album won’t be overlooked again.
