West Texas band releases new LP
Hailing from El Paso, Texas, new to the scene post-punk and new wave rockers Lesser Care have been making waves with their debut album “Underneath, Beside Me” (Released April 1, 2022). Throughout the nine-track runtime of the LP, Lesser Care presents ever-shifting landscapes that are captivating just as they are energetic; not once during my initial listen did I find myself bored or uninterested in the group’s sonic sounds, and this sentiment has continued the more I have gotten familiar with the 34 minutes of “Underneath, Beside Me.”
The standout tracks of the record are “Shadow,” “Crawling Back to The Sun” and my personal favorite, “Cherry Picked.” “Shadow” begins simple enough, which is not a bad thing. From the get-go of the record, Lesser Care goes straight to work on establishing a strong, backbeat groove that has no trouble wrangling in the listener. The song “Crawling Back to The Sun” draws many comparisons and similarities with Los Angeles’s Drab Majesty through the use of synthesizers (which make an appearance throughout the vast majority of the record) and the musical decisions made by the front man of the group.
When listening to “Cherry Picked,” I can’t help but find myself mesmerized by the driving half-time groove that is locked in between the bass and the drums, ruminating on the lines “Wrapped up in my arms, without worry about harm, I don’t see the harm.” And I can’t forget to mention the blast beats that sporadically grace the end of the track “Validation.” I was able to catch the band on their “God’s Favorite Tour” run with Cold Gawd, Closed Tear and Wisteria at the Paper Tiger in San Antonio earlier this year, and the band definitely did not disappoint when it comes to a live setting. The band can be found on Facebook and Instagram @lessercare, as well as Bandcamp.