The peripheries of A Place to Bury Strangers seem to have as large – or even larger – a profile as the band’s music itself. Vocalist/guitarist Oliver Ackermann helped found boutique effects pedal company Death By Audio (also a Brooklyn DIY space and record label). People’s first knowledge of the band is likely because of their “loudest band in Brooklyn/NYC/USA” tag, and you can give a pretty good idea of the band’s sound by listing off some key influences: Jesus and Mary Chain, My Bloody Valentine, maybe even Big Black. When bands reach your radar via such features, that often means an act which is popularized by the sum of its parts rather than one which has transcended them. And indeed, APTBS’ first two albums gained the band notoriety for their sonic fury rather than exposure due to interesting songwriting. It’s heartening then that APTBS’ third album Worship is one that is at its best when it goes against your expectations rather than fulfills them.
APTBS’s previous two albums were defined by the way the songs burst out of the gates in squalls of fucked-up distortion. Worship still hits those abrasive points but takes a more mannered approach when doing so. Opener “Alone” is more concerned with tightly wound tension than all-out attack. “You Are the One” plays with a quiet-loud-quiet structure and “Fear” doesn’t explode as much as it burns slowly, and both songs veer toward a New Order-esque melancholy. These songs brood as much as they blare. The culmination of this emphasis on restraint rather than assault is undeniably “Dissolved,” with its spaced-out and genuinely pretty first half that gives way to an unexpected and delightful boogie breakdown.
The rest of the tracks, for the most part, follow the same path scorched by the previous two albums. “Why I Can’t Cry Anymore” is a straight-up, head-bopping rocker and closer “Leaving Tomorrow” is vintage APTBS. This is not a slight on those songs; there’s still enough vitality in APTBS’ established sound to keep your ears perked and bleeding. But the album hints at a transitional point, one where the custom distortion pedals, sonic references and other non-essential aesthetics take a back seat to more forward-thinking song craft. Worship definitely won’t disappoint fans who came to feel the burn and it affirms that the band has something more in store besides its noisy reputation.
