Sainthood Reps

Headswell

On the surface, you can’t help but notice the obvious influence fellow Long Islanders Brand New have had on Sainthood Reps; after all, SR feature BN touring member Derrick Sherman on guitar, and both bands regularly collaborate with LI producer/creative guru Mike Sapone. That influence is apparent again on Headswell, Sainthood Reps’ second full-length, but the band branch out remarkably from there, seamlessly adding elements of ’90s grunge, metallic post-hardcore and spacey post-rock. Opening cut “Shelter” is Long Island hardcore at its noisy best, while “Run Like Hell,” “Desert Song” and “Quitter” morph between moody ruminations and crushingly heavy instrumental passages, ensuring that for all its tangents, Headswell still flies by. Despite the Brand New comparisons, this band are carving out a bold identity that’s definitely all their own.

No Sleep http://www.nosleeprecords.com

“Run Like Hell”