It seems rare for a band of such sonic genotype and high ambition to have unleashed an album that’s both so low-profile yet so fully gestated. That’s to say, Merchandise’s recent Children of Desire is fantastic and, so far, fantastically overlooked. The band, rising from a sector of Tampa’s authentic punk scene, is an astronomically rare example of authentic “post-punk.” What happens when punks grow up? When their pallets overspill and flourish? Something like this, full-throated and honest and honed.
“Time” is a fine choice for the record’s lead single, even if it lacks the awe of the album’s 10-minute “Become What You Are,” which tames an 80s breed of melancholic euphoria into a 2012 reality. As for the video, if you see palimpsests of Space Men 3 or Spectrum’s cosmonauts, it can only be augury of Merchandise’s great things to come, as there’s already been a great start.
Children of Desire is out now from Katorga Works.
• Merchandise: http://katorgaworks.bigcartel.com/product/merchandise-children-of-desire-lp
• Katorga Works: http://katorgaworks.bigcartel.com
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