Spokenest demands you to get off your ass. Don’t become a blob, a gelatinous mass that consumes day in, day out. Take a walk. Get your hands dirty. Notice your neighbors. Make or support something of value, a value that isn’t monetary. Dollar signs won’t give you perspective. Spokenest demands accountability: “Is your voice, your voice?” Sincerity isn’t a tempo or a slippery heartsick crooner with pomade-greased hair and an acoustic guitar, but the ability to bypass bullshit. With the smokescreen cleared, music is no longer expected to be pretty, pristine, but simply honest. Honesty is more valuable and rarer than any precious metal. Spokenest demands transparency. There’s nothing perfect about this four-song cassette, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. I don’t trust anything too slick or too choreographed. The chords are serrated, the drums wallop, and one voice barks while the other belts pure melody—it’s a noise that’s damn near impossible to co-opt. This two-piece is both a literal marriage and a Tesla coil. They spark those around them and lovingly supercharge punk culture with numerous contributions: music, art, and zines. “What are you gonna do?” they shout. There’s no right answer, but a million wrong ones; I plan to keep listening and, in due time, pass the tape along.
–Sean Arenas (Self-released, spokenest.bandcamp.com)