LP Edition of 200.
OUT OF PRINT
For the last two decades or so, The Human Adult Band, led by T. Penn, has been at the vanguard of New Jersey’s sub underground scene. Sometimes there are a lot of them, sometimes there are only a few, but the size of the scumball their music generates is always quite gigantic regardless of their number.
Slog Quest Crosstime is a monstrously pleasant example of what the band does. Their LOUD free rock dynamism is a classic example of how to move things from point A to point B without even peeking at a sonic compass. They do have some similarity to bands you might know, but I can’t think of any truly exact parallels. Their brutalist riffing can recall Burnt Hills at times, but they display a more evolved sense of forward motion than Albany’s basement kings. Their way of collaging varietal space rock motifs makes me remember Crawlspace, but where those L.A. freaks used krautrock as their stylistic pathway to transcending nada, The Human Adult Band seems to prefer the guitar-shard-texturalism of No Wave bands (although they sometimes blend these passages with Eastern modalities in a way that would sand-chafe Lydia Lunch’s ass.) So, let’s not get bogged down in comparisons.
The sound of the Human Adult Band is just crazy, pounding DUNT of the highest order. Its bottom (created by T’s bass and King Darves’ drums) is so thick and wide it almost makes no diff whether they’re playing in a trio configuration or a septet. They always manage to FILL the air with smoke. And so it is here.
If thou art neither a square nor a moldy fig, I’m pretty sure you’ll understand what this album is. Just fucking great.
–Byron Coley, 2022
