They say the difference between art styles is the paint they use and how the stroke used, so maybe I don’t want to investigate too much into the picture-making process of a band called SEXFACES. Their brand of abrasive post-punk isn’t the type to give you an O-face necessarily, and Bad Vibes OST certainly doesn’t ease you into things gently, but there’s still a dark beauty to the resulting art nonetheless. What is unnerving to some is alluring to others; that which terrifies can titillate, though I doubt that was the point here. SEXFACES clearly want to party, and like the best from DC, they have a lot to say, though there’s no clear manifesto here, just piss and vinegar. Part of the band’s charm comes from the use of the unexpected to make everything work, such as employing a viola, resulting in songs that straddle that line between brusque and beautiful. The fact that the band pull from various influences only adds to the fun:
“We wanted it to be as scary as Pussy Galore and Royal Trux and as unhinged as Sonic Youth doing ‘Crème Brûlée’ or Birthday Party circa ‘Junkyard.’ We wanted the album to be ridiculously trebly and loud to the point where it’s hurting. We can party a little but also get dialed into that particular moment in time. We were only surprised at how well the guitar and viola blended together at certain points, the first time really hearing it outside of live chaos. It kind of makes you hallucinate; you sort of hear these phantom sounds and can’t quite tell what’s what. All you really need to know is that it sounds cool as shit. It brought in this dirty, nightmare drone that gelled everything together.”
Bad Vibes OST is out now, and you can order it from Slovenly Recordings. Follow Sexfaces on Instagram for future updates.
