Post-punk and indie collide on "Wicker Incident," the blistering new single from Brighton-based trio Self Torque as they kick the door down to their debut album, "A Brutal Nadir". Clocked in as the very first track of the album, it's a full-body jolt that snaps and hums with an urgent, poised, bursting with this wild kind of clarity that characterizes their sound.
"Wicker Incident" races out of the gate full-bore, so there's no time for buyer's remorse, with the same frantic abandon that earned their last EP, "No Rest For The Depressed", a permanent cult status. Here, however, Self Torque is sharper sounding, more defiant, and a little unhinged, in the best possible way.
The production of the track keeps the grime at the forefront. The drums crash with unfettered ferocity, the bass snarls from beneath, and MacKenzie's vocals slice through with an urgency that is both relieving and confrontational. There's a sneaky little fragment of melody lurking in the chaos as well as proof that, under all the bluster and anger, Self Torque can still write one hell of a hook.
"Wicker Incident" is the act of a band digging in and doubling down on what they are, tight, tense, and totally alive. If "A Brutal Nadir" is how it starts, Self Torque can undoubtedly be expected to take all that grief and turn it into something thrillingly combustible.