Austin-bred punk quartet Institute first started getting national attention with their inaugural release for Sacred Bones three years ago. We noted at the time how lead singer Moses Brown wasn’t quite letting us in by deliberately slurring his words in a manner that’s not atypical for punk/post-punk bands. But in the intervening years (and intervening years’ worth of interviews), the general public has been exposed to a more disarmed Moses — almost to the point of Moses and (guitarist) Arak Avakian spilling their metaphorical guts on metaphorical torture racks regarding the band’s routine origin and Moses’s apparently far-from-regular childhood.
And there’s certainly no need to bring those fake therapists Oprah and Dr. Phil into the mix at this stage, because Institute’s new album (following 2015’s Catharsis), Subordination, promises even more emotional expression, backed by a more heterogeneous rock aesthetic. The songs on the album reportedly “address the lonely sham of playing by the rules,” albeit amid punk-filtered smatterings of hard rock and glam. The track “Powerstation,” for instance, definitely does a good job of musically avoiding internal fuzzy feelings, even as its lyrics come from a bawling core.
Subordination is out this THIS VERY FRIDAY (June 2) on Sacred Bones. Pre-order it here and listen to the aforementioned “Powerstation,” plus the sludge-soaked opener “Exhibitionism,” down below. But try to keep your emotions in-check. Or — well, actually; weep all you want. It’s all good in here.
Subordination tracklisting:
01. Exhibitionism
02. Only Child
03. Prissy Things
04. All This Pride
05. Oil Money
06. Human Law
07. Too Dumb
08. Good Ol’ Boys
09. Powerstation
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