Rocker (feedbot)
Gold Member
Austin rockers Die Spitz’s debut album, ‘Teeth’, was released two years ago, as the band turned twenty. Filled with a blistering punk energy, ‘Teeth’ cemented the band’s sound as both deeply inspired by ‘90s grunge and distinctly contemporary; a post-Covid Hole. Their sophomore, ‘Something To Consume’ sees the band slightly dial down the frantic energy of ‘Teeth’; which has them finding new creative, political, and reflective vistas to explore.
‘Something To Consume’ is a truly collaborative effort, with guitarists and drummer Ava Schrobilgen, Ellie Livingston, and Chloe de St. Aubin each writing and fronting roughly a third of the album. This leads to a compelling dynamic throughout – each member has a distinct take on the band’s style, and the similarities and differences between them help the music to grow in several complementary directions at once.
Die Spitz have not shied away from placing this creative collaboration front and centre of the album itself, as well as with its release. The three singles released ahead of the the album launch, ‘Throw Yourself to the Sword’, ‘Pop Punk Anthem (Sorry for the Delay)’, and ‘Punisher’ are written by Livingston, Schrobilgen, and de St. Aubin respectively. While ‘Punisher’ appears towards the end of the album, the other two singles are complemented by another de St. Aubin track, ‘Voir Dire’, to form the album’s opening three songs.
We open with ‘Pop Punk Album (Sorry for the Delay)’, which instantly sways with a languid energy that immediately distinguishes ‘Something To Consume’ from the rest of ‘Teeth’ . The pace picks up, though, as Schrobilgen switches between softer, dreamier vocals and her more guttural, raw singing. Schrobilgen’s contributions to the album keep to this dynamic, drawing a lot from the band’s grunge influences. The Hole comparison is perhaps most apt with these songs, as Schrobilgen’s vocals are reminiscent of Courtney Love – a song like ‘American Porn’ could easily be a lost track from ‘Live Through This’.
By comparison, Livingston seems to be drawn to the chugged riffs of classic metal. Still comfortable varying her vocal style between harsh and angry – as she does with lead single ‘Throw Yourself to the Sword’, the riffy ‘Down on It’ and the dreamier, more shoegaze-inspired ‘Sound to No One’. Livingston’s contributions are key to giving the album its punkier edge, which is far less dominant than ‘Teeth’ but no less important. ‘RIDING WITH MY GIRLS’ is a fast-paced surf punk number with some wicked lead guitar wails that would be right at home with DC punks Teen Mortgage.
The back third of the album really belongs to drummer de St. Aubin. Swapping instruments with Schrobilgen for her tracks, ‘Punisher’, ‘Voir Dire’, and ‘a strange moon/selenophilia’ bring the shoegaze influences that have bubbled throughout the album to the forefront. These songs bring British grunge revivalists Japanese Voyeur to mind with their unapologetic femininity. ‘a strange moon/selenophilia’, the album’s closer, evokes this with its name alone – selenophilia means a love of the moon, which has been forever associated with women and witchcraft. With an early Cure post-punk darkness, the song itself leaves you feeling witness to some sacral ritual.
These are the elements that define Die Spitz in their new era. Musically landing on a varying spectrum of grunge, metal, punk, and shoegaze, while exploring feminism and femininity with well-earned confidence. ‘Something To Consume’ shows not just a willingness to grow and evolve their sound, but that Die Spitz have put real thought and intent into that growth, while having an absolute trust in each other and themselves as a collective; doubly impressive for a band who are barely into their twenties.
WILL BRIGHT
‘Something To Consume’ is a truly collaborative effort, with guitarists and drummer Ava Schrobilgen, Ellie Livingston, and Chloe de St. Aubin each writing and fronting roughly a third of the album. This leads to a compelling dynamic throughout – each member has a distinct take on the band’s style, and the similarities and differences between them help the music to grow in several complementary directions at once.
Die Spitz have not shied away from placing this creative collaboration front and centre of the album itself, as well as with its release. The three singles released ahead of the the album launch, ‘Throw Yourself to the Sword’, ‘Pop Punk Anthem (Sorry for the Delay)’, and ‘Punisher’ are written by Livingston, Schrobilgen, and de St. Aubin respectively. While ‘Punisher’ appears towards the end of the album, the other two singles are complemented by another de St. Aubin track, ‘Voir Dire’, to form the album’s opening three songs.
We open with ‘Pop Punk Album (Sorry for the Delay)’, which instantly sways with a languid energy that immediately distinguishes ‘Something To Consume’ from the rest of ‘Teeth’ . The pace picks up, though, as Schrobilgen switches between softer, dreamier vocals and her more guttural, raw singing. Schrobilgen’s contributions to the album keep to this dynamic, drawing a lot from the band’s grunge influences. The Hole comparison is perhaps most apt with these songs, as Schrobilgen’s vocals are reminiscent of Courtney Love – a song like ‘American Porn’ could easily be a lost track from ‘Live Through This’.
By comparison, Livingston seems to be drawn to the chugged riffs of classic metal. Still comfortable varying her vocal style between harsh and angry – as she does with lead single ‘Throw Yourself to the Sword’, the riffy ‘Down on It’ and the dreamier, more shoegaze-inspired ‘Sound to No One’. Livingston’s contributions are key to giving the album its punkier edge, which is far less dominant than ‘Teeth’ but no less important. ‘RIDING WITH MY GIRLS’ is a fast-paced surf punk number with some wicked lead guitar wails that would be right at home with DC punks Teen Mortgage.
The back third of the album really belongs to drummer de St. Aubin. Swapping instruments with Schrobilgen for her tracks, ‘Punisher’, ‘Voir Dire’, and ‘a strange moon/selenophilia’ bring the shoegaze influences that have bubbled throughout the album to the forefront. These songs bring British grunge revivalists Japanese Voyeur to mind with their unapologetic femininity. ‘a strange moon/selenophilia’, the album’s closer, evokes this with its name alone – selenophilia means a love of the moon, which has been forever associated with women and witchcraft. With an early Cure post-punk darkness, the song itself leaves you feeling witness to some sacral ritual.
These are the elements that define Die Spitz in their new era. Musically landing on a varying spectrum of grunge, metal, punk, and shoegaze, while exploring feminism and femininity with well-earned confidence. ‘Something To Consume’ shows not just a willingness to grow and evolve their sound, but that Die Spitz have put real thought and intent into that growth, while having an absolute trust in each other and themselves as a collective; doubly impressive for a band who are barely into their twenties.
WILL BRIGHT