Canal Irreal Someone Else's Dance

Released
23rd February 2024
Label 
Beach Impediment
Format

12 Inch

Black

£20.00

‘Crawl in ash, Mirage of who we were, Have we forgotten ourselves? We’ve gone mad, Are we fearing death? Or just afraid to live?’ (Mirage)

Featuring members of Los Crudos / Limp Wrist and Sin Orden, Canal Irreal took their bow with 2021’s excellent self-titled full-length and they have returned with a certified belter of a follow-up that infuses their darkly melodic post-punk with a bristling hardcore energy.  There is no clutter, but rather a sonic palette that affords each element the space to fully breathe.  A wonderfully supple rhythm section provides the grounding for the gruff, melodic vocals (which are primarily in English this time round) as they explore themes of being true to oneself (I Failed), not surrendering to nostalgia to avoid the challenges of today (Mirage), and creating space within a world predicated around conflict (Tranquility).

And in between, the utterly propulsive guitar weaves its bewitching, melancholic spell, on one hand writhing sinuously, on the other betraying an almost crystalline brittleness, yet always dangerously enticing.  And I love the brass flourish on 40 Chairs before it flows into a jaggedly raw guitar solo. The result is the insidiously sing-along catchiness of Withdrawal and I Failed, jousting alongside the surging, spiky Mirage and Tranquility, before the stomping, discordant spoken word ode to their home city on Chicago.  Make no mistake though, this is undoubtedly Canal Irreal’s dance and once that needle is dropped, you will have very little choice but to join in with unrestrained gusto.

—Foundation Vinyl