Written by: The Administrator
My personal familiarity with LáGoon goes way back to the genesis of ye olde Sleeping Village. Back when we were reviewing music exclusively over on Instagram, the Portland-based project was dropping, at a very rapid clip, some excellent scuzzy 'n' fuzzy proto skater punk by way of garage-doom-stoner-psych-rock. They were raw and gritty and loose in a way that felt intrinsically fun above all else, exuding a punky ethos that thumbed its nose at the pastiche of polish for the sake of polish. And every new release was better than the last. While (I believe) we only every reviewed 2020's Father of Death in these less-than hallowed halls, I've followed their career pretty consistently over the years. As such, it felt somewhat providential that LáGoon's PR should reach out asking if I was interesting in premiering a track--a track that, I quickly discovered, I had actually heard in primordial form back in 2018. "Kill The Messenger," today's song in question, appeared on an EP that has since been removed from streaming. I immediately recalled that "Kill The Messenger" was my favorite from said EP, and was pleased to see (and hear) that it has been reworked, reimaged, and otherwise been brought up to the current LáGoon standard. We're pleased to present "Kill The Messenger" below a day before its official release on Feb. 18th. Give it a listen below! As always, we'll meet you on the far side of the fold.
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In a continuing attempt to cover more music that would all-too-oft slip through the very large cracks, we slumbering scribes are making an effort to publish short reviews at a greater frequency, thereby shining our very small spotlight on more cool shit. Without further ado, here's some thoughts on the latest two singles from the exceptionally prolific Ourobonic Plague.
Written by: The Administrator
Those of you with frighteningly acute memories may recall a mini-review we wrote back in July of 2025 for "Blunderbuss," a jarring-yet-mesmerizing track that combined muffled klaxons with a stuttering drive. This was but one of 40(!) tracks Ourobonic Plague released last year, and the Green Annex train doesn't seem to be slowing down quite yet. The forthcoming EP G.A.: Four: Consecration will see release on February 5th, and the two singles before us--"Machine-kun" and "23 Gems"--serve as highly listenable harbingers. "Machine-kun" (released Dec. 15th of last year) is a garage-esque banger with a potent injection of the industrial presence and general weird energy we've come to expect from the established Ourobonic Plague aesthetic. I wouldn't call it future garage by any stretch, from what I understand of the genre conventions, but it certainly qualifies as futuristic garage. If, y'know, such a thing exists. In any case, this track is driven by the erratic and energized heartbeat of the skittering two-step. There's an obvious mechanical edge that permeates, but alongside the more overt danceable elements, there's a menacing squirm that becomes increasingly prominent on the back half, thrumming and breathing like some cosmic or otherwise alien entity. Unsettling and also dancey is a rare but powerful combo, and Ourobonic Plague nails it here. "23 Gems" (released Jan. 7th ) makes me wish, in hindsight, that I didn't already us the term "banger" above. While fitting a similar vibe, this track cranks up the tempo a tad, leaning into a clamorous grimy rattle. There's an aggression here displayed both in the intense rhythm and the writhing and punchy synths, which promo accurately describes as ''dueling." They are at the very least engaged in heated conversation, with retorts and flying rebuttals adding a greater sense of urgency to the already urgent beat. I really enjoy the energy on this one. It feels irresistible, and I'm excited to see how that energy plays out across the remainder of the EP. Give "Machine-kun" and "23 Gems" a listen below, check out their respective visualizers over on the Ourobonic Plague youtube, and consider pre-ordering G.A.: Four: Consecrated here!
Ourobonic Plague's assorted links can be found here.
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