First of all, kudos for Transept for absolutely wrecking the album-title universe with their latest album Buff as Fuck. The title of their first release, TRSPT001, left a lot to be desired. But at the same time, it represented an effort by a group who knew where they were going but weren’t there yet. The songs wandered a little, despite the beauty found in the upper-atmosphere melodies in “The Demands of Levitating Heavy Stones” and “Leopard Slug Love Song,” and the mixing leaned a little light, but any worries one might have about their sophomore LP is eliminated within seconds of hearing the pre-release stream.
Opening track “Happysburgh” is especially significant, because it comprises one-third of the LP and provides a perfectly executed juxtaposition to the rest of the album. It’s also really heavy. Not the kind of heavy, like, “teenagers wearing eyeliner and moshing” heavy; it’s more akin to a bathtub full of ground beef, and you’re pushing your fists down into the meat trying to reach the bottom of the tub but you keep going down further and further. Or imagine you wake up and you’re covered in modeling clay that slowly hardens as you eat your Cheerios. Your progress is not impeded, only your acceleration, and you begin to find that the lethargy increases exponentially, taking you months to brush your teeth and years to walk across your yard. “Muscle Beach” is another standout on the album, combining a crushed military snare with a triumphant melody that reverse-decays into ambient decadence.
Listen to Buff as Fuck here
• Transept: http://trspt.net
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