Dracular - Coyotes and Bees

Dracular

​Coyotes and Bees
self-released; 2017

3.9 out of 5

By Ryan Ansel
​

Coyotes and Bees is Dracular’s follow-up album to their 2016 release Clyde. The noise rock trio from Minnesota assumes a pleasantly abrasive style on this project, making it hard not to feel the dark sentiments of their music. 

Under the umbrella of their noisy, hardcore punk style, Dracular brings a variety of different styles to the table. Nick Solem, the drummer and vocalist, indulges in a very grand and form of lyricism that I found to be intriguing in style. 

On the opening track, “Monterpider Forever,” Solem aggressively paints an ambiguous scene of, what seems to be, a celestial being degrading the false integrity of a classroom or workspace.

He sings, "What's eucalyptus? Who's Robert Frost? / I don't wanna be here. I don't wanna be here," in the second verse, perhaps suggesting that academia is filled with ultimately unuseful concepts in the grand scheme of things. This “no-holds-barred” lyricism is honest and creative at the same time. And he doesn’t really hold back in the tracks that follow.

Guitarist Ryan Trihey embraces randomness in his playing. He keeps you on your toes on the fourth track,“This Could Be Forever” where you really don’t know what’s coming next. It almost makes you wonder if there is any structure to his playing at all; structure pertaining to key and tempo. 

Yet, there’s something charming about this, what seems to be, stream-of-consciousness playing. The band is completely in sync with one another. There are moments of pure noise and rage, doom metal-esque breakdowns and even math rock. But when all of these evolutions occur, each bandmate seems to take on their respective role and fill the mold that they leave for one another. Guitars pick up and so do the drums and vocals. The same applies to a reversed circumstance.

​I’d sum this project up in three words: irregular melodic rage. Just when you feel complacent in a song, the band flips a switch. It’s slightly frustrating, yet undeniably tasteful.

soundcloud

bandcamp

Tweet