Cursive is back with its 8th album. The Omaha band's discography is full of well conceived concept albums w/ challenging themes, and for Vitriola, frontman Tim Kasher writes urgent, incisive songs about the chaos we live in: "there's just an awful mean streak in humanity in the way that you can see it being bred in groupthink and group mentality." The tone is utterly pessimistic, and the sonics match—"Scream-along melodies, rich, resonant melodicism," and cinematic touches from keyboardist Patrick Newbery and Cellist Megan Siebe support jagged, intertwining guitars of Ted Stevens and Kasher. Check out "Under The Rainbow," a rage-filled call to the privileged, or "It's Gonna hurt," a record about "watching those closet to you as they seem to deliberately self-destruct." Other picks include "Free To Be Or Not To Be You And Me" and "Life Savings."

• black & gold marbled vinyl
• edition of 1000
• includes free album download
• music label: 15 Passenger 2018

reviewed by singing in japanese 10/18

.