Brooklyn’s NETHERLANDS makes the type of sludge rock we deserve in 2019—dark, synthbass heavy post-punk that confronts the consumerist elements of a society we all complain about (but in actuality do very little to change). From their gripes with excessive baby pics on social media (“NEGATIVE LIKES”) to the miasma of existence (“DEATHLESS”), their most recent EP HOPE PORN charts resonant lyrics for a pessimistic 21st Century mindset, all sung against the trudge of subwoofer-destroying electric instrumentation. It’s a maximalist reaction to our world, a sharp rebuke of the idea that things will get better, offering an insightful catharsis in its full-throated scream into the void. Rage on, and catch their sound at Alphaville on July 22nd, supporting Throwaway and Dead Tenants. -Connor Beckett McInerney
