Upchuck – Sense Yourself lp

Upchuck – Sense Yourself lp

"In a year where my love of punk-and-adjacent music has been reminded (thanks 11th Hour), nothing has left deeper marks than Upchuck’s Sense Yourself. This Atlanta quintet channels overflowing raw energy into dynamic, propulsive sonic catacombs where there’s no hiding from all the ghosts we’ve tried to bury. Vocalist and songwriter KT weaves lyrical razorblades into searing melodies, spilling poetic blood about discrimination, bleak futures, and the decayed foundations left behind.

Musically, Upchuck is tight-knit but on the brink. Chaos looms in the shadows, and that air of uncertainty simmers like an impending lava flow ready to obliterate anything in its path. Opener “Upchuck” (side note: I am a sucker for bands with songs that are their band name) plods forward with unstoppable, slow-building momentum. The boulder gets to the top of the mountain behind the sheer force of dual guitars, a driving rhythm section, and KT’s emphatic delivery. Upchuck turns around and lets the bomb fall on the title track, infusing psych-edged leads into the howling squall." - Foxy Digitalis