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Screamo: Abandoncy - Hollow//Living (2020)

73 / 100
A strong and adventurous debut that successfully fuses screamo’s emotion with punk, noise, while also hinting at post-rock’s atmospheric side.
After releasing the single “Power Stance” in August 2019, Kansas-based noise rock/screamo trio Abandoncy put out their second track in a split release with Almanac Man, BIGHAND//BIGKNIFE, and Emma Goldman in March the following year. Early 2020 also marked their busy period working on their debut album, Hollow//Living. Most of the recording was done at Farewell Transmission from January to March and then released in August through Zegema Beach Records and The Ghost is Clear Records.

Hollow//Living consists of nine songs running about 34 minutes, featuring several guest appearances such as Brittany Jo Sawtelle (vocals on the track “Mudcrawler”) and added power drill and saw sounds in “Interlude” by Hopyard Mathison and Max Popov. The main vocals are handled by Damian, with additional vocals from Morgan (drums) on “Nashville Hot” and Lincoln (bass) who also contributes to “Mudcrawler”. Unfortunately, I couldn’t really distinguish the vocal styles of the two members on the opening track, maybe just some buzzing or growling within the interlude. Meanwhile, “Mudcrawler” plays more emotional and mellow like a ballad, with clean vocals and female vocals from Brittany, making it more appealing to me than the acoustic style on “I, Alone Left”.

Musically, the opening track sounds wild in a street punk/punk rock way while still adding subtle noise elements. Overall, noise is present throughout, both from pure effects and from the main instruments like guitars and screamed vocals. The following tracks get some post-rock touches through the rather heavy guitar plucking, especially on “7 More Ohms,” “But Also Men,” and “Let the Dead Die in Vain.” A brighter version stands out in “Interlude” and “You’re All of America to Me.”

Although it may seem scrappy, Abandoncy were supported by capable hands that preserved the distinct quality of their main genre which is not raw or sloppy recordings. They still offer the melodic traits of screamo blended with general punk style, so they don’t just express melancholy but also anarchic energy, even if the lyrics focus on mental and personal issues.

So, like many other albums, I see more potential here as I write this review. Unfortunately, I haven’t consumed much famous screamo, so I can only mention a local band like Senja Dalam Prosa. But it might also be related to Life, Envy, Off Minor, and PG.99.

Best tracks: “Interlude,” "Mudcrawler," “You’re All of America to Me,” and “Let the Dead Die in Vain.”
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