$14.50
(SHIPS ON OR BEFORE FEBRUARY 24, 2015)
With a working tenure just shy of a calendar year, XETAS have made a leap from knockout threat to knockout certainty in record time. When we released last summer’s debut 7”, “The Knife” b/w “The Silence”, the band was cited for “walking the tightrope between heavy-and-catchy”, and while that was true enough at the time, their resulting full-length, ‘The Redeemer’ has both attributes in staggering abundance. Still refusing to reveal their full names (Google it if you’re bothered), the trio of D (vocals, guitar), K (bass, vocals) and M (drums) are hardly the first US underground gang to combine the anthemic with the jagged, but there’s only a handful who’ve fired a broadside with nearly this much confidence.
Expertly recorded by Ian Rundell (Spray Paint, The Dead Space, Ghetto Ghouls), ’The Redeemer' hits stores at the end of the month, followed by March and April U.S. dates.
selected prior praise :
"the a-side to this sounds like it could've been lifted straight from one of those Double Negative "Hardcore Confusion" seven-inches, and I'm not even slightly joking -- the guitar sound is that beefy. "The Knife" is great, too, dropping-in some pop-punk hooks almost like a Teenage Bottlerocket record or something. I'm probably making this sound like it's some awful garbage, but it's not, it's actually pretty fuckin’ awesome - One Base On An Overthrow
Xetas is more, how shall I not say so well, “of the moment” with less than an arm or hand stuck permanently in the rearview meat-grinder. Yes, I suppose there’s a dominant essence of this that could have been heard in 1995 out of the San Diego scene or other less knuckle-dragging noise-rock camps, but the lady-led vocal break in “The Silence” – it’s also the song’s big hook - along with the awesome production and guitar sound is of a period other than “yore” and the electricity, general songwriting, riff-mastery, and other resounding areas of POSITIVE POWER - Andrew Earles, Still Single
“The Austin trio lead off with a track built around a guitar riff big enough to put a smile on Greg Sage’s pallid mug. The flip channels both Deniz Tek and Kenny Chambers. LP due soon, it’ll be interesting to see which direction it heads - Byron Coley, The Wire
“Riffy and catchy and hell right-now punk trio from Austin…very ripping’ rhythmic blend of early ’90’s AmRep and Trance Syndicate bands like Janitor Joe and fellow Texas Johnboy…definitely a killer band who I’m sure are fucking great live.” - Maximum Rocknroll
(first 150 on blue vinyl. All copies include a download code)