Exposé Online banner

Exposé Online

Not just outside the box, but denying the existence of boxes.
Covering music from the fringes since 1993.

Reviews

Drill for Absentee — Strand of a Lake, Vol. 1 and Vol. 2
(Bandcamp Expert Work Records EW029, 2025, LP / DL)

by Jon Davis, Published 2026-02-07

Strand of a Lake, Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 Cover art

Drill for Absentee is a band that’s taken quite a while for me to get a handle on. On the one hand, that means that their music has depth to it that can’t be figured out on casual listening; but on the other hand, it means many listeners will have to spend more time getting acquainted with it than they might be willing to spend. I get it, we’re all busy people, and there are so many choices for music at our fingertips that it may seem wasteful to revisit things that don’t immediately grab you. While I’m still getting to know Strand of a Lake, I have come to the conclusion that the time and effort will be rewarded. These eight tracks seem to follow some kind of internal logic rather than standard song structures, and take the venerable grunge-era technique of abruptly contrasting loud and soft sections into unpredictable directions. Several of the songs feature spoken words, and when there is singing, it leans towards punkish shouting more than melody. But one of the first things a listener will notice is that the rhythms stray from 4/4 a lot, resulting in some angular, jerky riffs that lean in a math-rock direction. The group was originally formed back in the mid-90s, and they retain some of the spirit of that era, resembling some of the less mainstream acts of the day, like Slint, June of 44, Skin Yard, and Medicine Hat. I don’t know if everyone will have the same experience with Drill for Absentee, but I think this is a band that’s worth getting to know.

Filed under: New releases, 2025 releases

Related artist(s): Drill for Absentee

More info
http://drillforabsentee.bandcamp.com/album/strand-of-a-lake-vol-1-and-vol-2

 

What's new

These are the most recent changes made to artists, releases, and articles.