One central truth I’ve learned in my adult life is that save for those who are paid for their skill, anyone who says they have a good sense of humor is usually lying or a sad Boomer with a penchant for racist memes. There are glorious exceptions, and it was very evident that the latest in the post-Unwound noise rock offspring, Facet, are able to count themselves in the positive column. Their answers to my not-hilarious-at-all questions were side-splitting in their blend of irony and hilarity, as if the famous dril memelord became sentient and discovered distortion and feedback. However, their clear ability to make light out of lemons aside, Facet’s most important aspect is just how damn loud and enjoyable their debut is. This Self-Titled is much more than an Unwound fan’s dream, but if their famous blend of noise rock and post-hardcore ever whet your whistle, boy howdy, do I have your new favorite band. As to how the musical formula came to be, vocalist/guitarist Max Senna has this to say:
“My favorite thing about this band is we don’t necessarily share the same influences when we approach writing and we’re able to leave space for each other to take whatever is happening in a completely different direction. Every song we wrote on this record was a result of us staring at each other in a room until whatever thing we were jamming on clicked together for those few seconds and restarting from there. We’re a jam band. I’m changing my answer to we wanted to make a record that sounds like The Grateful Dead.”
Senna adds: “Now that Unwound can play the same festivals as Skrillex, Blur, and The War on Drugs – we figured we might as well try to make another record. What’s up Blink-182? Take us on tour; we’re the intro textbook post-hardcore band. Watch out Turnstile; we’re coming for your spot.”
Every band has a secret sauce that they alone make happen; for Facet, it takes on an apparently literal form, as Senna shares:
“The first and most important part of our process is getting a burrito from our favorite truck, The Taco Panzon. This energizes and inspires us to continue the band. We wrote [two EPs] at the end of 2019 and didn’t start writing anything else until the end of 2022. This album is the result of booking studio time in March when you only have three songs written in January. The pressure of writing more music for fear of embarrassment in front of Scott Evans is really what made this record exist. Thanks Scott.”
Thematically, this record feels like a middle finger to the ways in which society tries to sell and commodify a better life, only for us consumers to get raw deals again and again. What did you want to talk about with this record? You won’t expect Senna’s answer:
“In 1878 in Elmira, New York, the last known sighting of the Labrador duck occurred. They have the distinction of being the first known endemic North American bird species to become extinct after the Columbian Exchange. Their extinction was primarily due to overhunting, the destruction of their coastal habitat, and separation from their preferred food sources (mussels and clams). Even though the Labrador duck was widely considered to taste like shit, they were extensively hunted for their meat, eggs and feathers. The Labrador duck serves as a poignant reminder of the consequence we will soon face. Also, we love hanging out with our friends and having a good time. It’s an uplifting record for happy people who are fans of accessible rock music.”
Facet’s self-titled album comes out on Friday and you can pre-order it from Hex Records’ Bandcamp. Follow Facet on Instagram for future updates.
Image courtesy of Facet
