Collate. Liminal Concerns.
2018. self-released.
Portland’s Collate, an up-and-coming Pacific Northwest post-punk outfit that hearkens back to the comfortable weirdness of Ludus and Essential Logic, manages to bury transportive elements in the depths of their fuzzy tones and abrasive riffs. Finding Liminal Concerns in the dusty corners of Bandcamp felt like happening upon the ghost of a pirate radio channel that fizzled out in back in ‘87; the controlled freedom of late post-punk shines, leaving listeners with the vague sensation of finding themselves undercover. The trio’s abrupt, chopped style on ‘Who Cares About Tradition?’ lends itself to the very golden leagues they may or may not be shirking, calling upon movement-generating names such as The Fall and Heaven 17. ‘Occurrences,’ on the other hand, transforms the album into an introverted art kid’s dream, with Erika’s biting vocals betraying a closet shyness. Despite inclinations towards messier punk roots, Collate’s forceful discipline makes for a record worth dancing, not moshing to.
-review by Lauren Ball