Currently based in Ithaca, NY, Eighteen Hundred and Froze to Death formed in the late 1990s, dishing a post-hardcore/ indie rock/ post-rock blend on a full-length CDr and a split CDEP (with the duo Mach Tiver). In 2002 they wound down activities for a long stretch but reformed in 2015 and recorded the follow-up album Some Years. On June 21, the band unveils Thirds on LP and CD through Resident Recordings. And note that on Bandcamp, Some Years and Thirds are bundled up at a discount price.
Eighteen Hundred and Froze to Death took their name from a volcanic winter that occurred in 1816, triggered by the eruption of Mount Tambora in Indonesia the year before. Also described as “The Year Without a Summer,” a resulting drop in temperatures brought on an agricultural disaster that was particularly harsh in Western Europe, Atlantic Canada, and New England.
That’s some heavy history, and fittingly, Eighteen Hundred and Froze to Death is a heavy band. Joe Kepic and David Nutt play the guitars, with Nutt handling the vocals, Tom Yagielski is the bassist and Brendan Kuntz is on drums and backing vocals. All four kept busy with additional projects during the hiatus (Kepic, Yagielski Kuntz recorded In Theory & Practice as The 1,000-Year Plan, Nutt released four albums with why+the+wires) and even after reforming (Kuntz cut a bunch of solo stuff as Grass Jaw, Kepic recorded as Chimes of Bayonets, and Nutt had two books of fiction published).
Released in 2000, The Last Staple in This Paper Coffin (the CDr mentioned above) is a solid debut, but the strides made prior to recording Some Years are palpable, and there’s no slippage evident on Thirds. Some Years was recorded and mixed by J. Robbins, who returns to mix this new set (recorded this time by Christopher Ploss) and contribute some backing vocals in closer “Minutewomen.”
Opener “Carry Out” hits that ’90s sweet spot between indie rock and post-hardcore, beginning with a guitar line that’s reminiscent of Sub Pop-era Sebadoh before a combo of piledriver crunch and forward motion gets dropped, a power move recalling some of the DC action that transpired in the mid-’00s (like a less structurally mathed-out Medications, for one instance).
The band cites Fugazi, Superchunk, and Mission of Burma as foundational influences, but this far out from their formation, these inspirations have been largely internalized. After a winding instrumental prelude, “Bad Weeks” ratchets up the pummeling velocity to an impressive intensity, really bearing down in the final minute, but it’s the soaring vocal in the choruses that assists the track in standing out.
“Signal Burns” thrives on its dual guitar attack as the velocity gets honed even more. Neither too up front nor buried in the mix, Nutt’s singing is ultimately more about how it integrates into the overall sound than dropping profound lyricisms. That’s not to say the words are banal; there’s just an understanding of the voice’s role in the overall thrust. “Wreck the Decks” slows it down and ups the thump to an almost ’90s Touch and Go pitch before a rousing near-anthemic rock swagger takes hold (complete with shouted backing vocals).
“Recoveries LTD” closes side one with a bit of an instrumental showcase, but the singing impresses upon emerging roughly halfway through the cut. Side two starts out strong with “Old Painful,” a pounding ripper until it settles down in the back half. If neither “Elevens,” with its spring action riffing, nor the comparatively melodic but still ragged “Another End” offer big surprises, they both get the job done, especially the latter.
That sets the table for the slow build pace shifting finale “Minutewomen,” the album’s longest track and its standout, though “Another End” does give it a run for its money. Across Thirds, Eighteen Hundred and Froze to Death might not reinvent their chosen sound, but never do they falter into the formulaic, and that’s no small feat.
GRADED ON A CURVE:
B+
