Sects Single Review

SECTS

“Reverberation”
* * * 1/2

When it was announced that drummer Alex Lamp and School of Rock veteran Kit Castagne had formed a supergroup with Milo’s Lee Newman and DFR’s Ruby Rosa and Hayli Holmes, most people were expecting a hard-rocking, solo-laden affair. Yet the band’s first single sounds more like Mabuta No Ura-era Boris than anything else. In a punky deadpan, Newman spins a surreal, Jarmusch-esque tale of roadstop love over shoegazey reverb and lonely, minimal guitar solos. While this band is a supergroup, none of the band members’ technical chops are really showcased. This makes for a new and interesting spin on the concept of the supergroup--a simple meeting of the musicians rather than a gearhead shredding jam.

SECTS
“Black Governor”
* * 1/2

On the second single, it gets even weirder. There are more instrumental acrobatics on this song than on “Reverberation,” and there are plenty of odd tempo changes, but Newman is even more deadpan on this song, intoning about god knows what over a vaguely German-sounding background. While Newman’s vocals give the song an interesting, almost No Wave-ish vibe, “Black Governor” is, as a whole, nowhere near as good as “Reverberation,” although it is a decent throwback to the Krautrock sound of the early 1970s.