In our November Breaking Out profile on Merchandise, singer Carson Cox warned us that the Florida post-punks’ next album would be a “smoke weed kind of record.” But the first taste of the April 2 Totale Night LP didn’t exactly connote a 420-friendly vibe. “Anxiety’s Door” felt more like a Morrissey song set to some Bunnymen groove, but it’d be fair to characterize the latest leak as a wee bit weedy.
“Who Are You?” is primarily powered by a ripping blast of blues harmonica, then rounded out by a dharma-warping mix of grinding guitars and buzzing effects. Cox’s vocals even go a little gruff, adopting a kinda-sorta Soundgarden-y tone as he asks cryptic questions of an unknown subject. It’s an unexpected look for Merchandise, but the trio’s tendency to surprise is one of the reasons we like them so well. Mixing duties on Totale Night went to Spaceman 3’s Sonic Boom, so we shouldn’t be too tripped up by the trippy.
