An adaptive sense of ‘post-punk’ may be the most ‘way’ to file Chicago’s Axis: Sova, the trio of Brett Sova, Jeremy Freeze, and Josh Johannpeter. The broad definitions of rock and its branches are rich blood that froths in Axis: Sova’s veins, but they enjoy progressive tactics when spilling it. Their new LP, Flowerage, employs fresh shocks and clear patterns in sound – fuzzed n’ phased guitar and bass complemented by a dynamic synthesis of organic/electronic drums, wired up tight. With songs that walk through fire, exploring dark energies with a clear eye amidst the world’s chaos, one might think Thin Lizzy if their debut was released by Factory Records in 1980: icy yet searing, and omnipresent with ear worm hooks.
From blown-out solo bedroom project to full-blown band, Axis: Sova have been described over the years as “prime movers of robo-boogie for the central United States” (Mosurock, NPR) and “like The Stooges riding shotgun on a Suicide track” (Berman, Pitchfork). For 2023s Blinded By Oblivion, the group left Chicago to record at Harmonizer Studios with Ty Segall producing. Now they return with Flowerage, recorded at Electrical Audio in Chicago with Cooper Crain (of Bitchin Bajas, Stereolab producer) at the helm. The Flowerage bouquet is fully dialed in – energetic and IN COLOR – to help you find yourself amidst the distracting noise. Flowerage arrives October 23rd on God? via Drag City.