Wake in Fright, the second full-length by the New York City duo Uniform, is a harrowing exploration of self-medication, painted in the colors of war. Following the Ghosthouse 12", whose A-side Pitchfork called "their most relentless track yet," vocalist Michael Berdan and guitarist/producer Ben Greenberg return with a new batch of even more punishing tracks that incorporate elements of industrial music, thrash metal, harsh noise, and power electronics.
The characters Berdan brings to life in his lyrics quit using but have ruinous relapses (“Habit”) or struggle as their resolve crumbles (“Bootlicker”); they use alcohol to ease their insomnia but and are helpless when they get sober and stop sleeping again (“Night of Fear”); they’re existential misanthropes trapped in dead-end lives (“The Lost”).
Greenberg sets these stories to menacing guitar and samples of literal sounds of war — the kick drums are bombs going off , the snares are gunshots. He drew the record’s immense sample library from action movies, Foley sound packs, field recordings, and more, and the result is devastating. The guitar is also as crucial as ever, and now as indebted Slayer as it is to Big Black. Greenberg conjures up massive riffs and shredding solos, pushing the band deeper into the metal world whose borderlands they’ve long stalked.
Tracklisting
- Fairy Tale
- Endless Beauty
- emember Now
- Going Through
- Star
- Pantomime
- Rainbow
- Surf A Palm
- Blend