Brooklyn-based four-piece Taking Meds boldly advocates their distinct musical style, ascribing to the self-created genre, ’math-punk’. With several members who were previously – and some who still remain – involved in Rochester’s pop punk project Such Gold, it is no surprise that Taking Meds’ complex instrumental sound draws from an assortment genres across the punk/rock board. Post-hardcore and math rock drive the majority of this band’s disjointed yet dynamic tracks, but it is their subtle emo and indie rock influences that pack their tracks with a chaotic tapestry of styles. After producing their debut album My Life as a Bro in 2016, the group returned to the studio earlier this year to begin recording their second LP. Many of their songs like “Blue Shirt Boogie” and “Comfort in Poor Planning” fuse aspects of classic, dissonant punk with the relatable energy of modern indie rock, creating a combination of hard-biting lyrics and rhythmic complexity that penetrates the spirit of punk rock. With vocals that err on the side of Four Year Strong or Neck Deep, blended into layers of Balance and Composure-esq post-hardcore instrumentals, you are left with a cutting mixture of pure, intense noise. See them live at Brooklyn’s Elsewhere on November 5.
