New EP: Spit City || Carpe Demon

Last year I was very impressed with Spit City’s debut album Long Dark Night, on which songwriter/multi-instrumentalist Sean Rose tried to deal with some heavy stuff. The cover photo of his new EP Carpe Demon shows him enjoying the sun, but the witty title already reveals that his life still has dark sides. The three new “punkacana” songs – Sean Rose on vocals and electric guitar, Patrick Ford on bass, and Johnny Bowers on drums – may even be more gloomy than 2021’s full length. Can’t Be Found is a summer punk jam on being uncomfortable in any moment, Never Goin’ Hungry Again is a southern gothic tale of petty crime, and the title track is a thundering riff-soaked warning on the hazards of toxic living that can be so hard to shake (“Sometimes when the evening’s low // Tired of all the go go go // I think how easy things would be // with this car wrapped around a tree”). Both lyrics and music are pretty heavy, but also pretty good again – in fact, if you listen more closely, you’ll hear that we don’t really have to worry, and you’ll see sunbeams breaking through the clouds.

Carpe Demon is out now digitally (self-released). Add to wantlist: Bandcamp