OR: Chicago Instrumental Trio With Members Of Joan Of Arc, American Heritage, Sidekick Kato, Ghosts & Vodka, And More Releases Debut LP, Pariah, Through Dog & Pony Records

April 8, 2022 Infrared Magazine News, Press Releases Comments Off

Chicago, Illinois-based instrumental indie/noise rock trio OR celebrates the release of the debut album, Pariah, out now through Dog & Pony Records.

OR is formed by guitarist Frank Hryniewicz (Sidekick Kato, Damp Hay), drummer Matt Precin (American Draft, Sacha Mullin), and bassist Erik Bocek (Ghosts & Vodka, American Heritage, Joan of Arc). While this is ORâs recorded debut, the album is hardly a haphazardly assembled collection of songs. Written over the course of the last five years, the albumâs eight tracks possess a focus and clarity that can only come with patience, time and allowing songs to develop as naturally as possible.

Pariah was recorded at Blacktop Recording by Andy Nelson and mastered by Brad Boatright at Audiosiege.

With the albumâs release, Erik Bocek states, âPariah is the culmination of years of friendship in an audible format. There is no intention or goal other than to exist, grow, and progress. The instrumental form is intentional and allows the freedom in each instrument to function as three separate yet harmonious voices. The resulting music is the singer.Â And no, you are incorrect, there are never too many notes.â

**ORâs Pariah is out now on LP at the Dog & Pony Bandcamp HERE and via all digital service providers including Spotify HERE, Apple HERE, and Amazon HERE.**

Also watch the bandâs âMany Robesâ video HERE.

Featuring veterans of Chicago indie underground acts like Ghosts And Vodka, Sidekick Kato, and American Draft, OR could have easily existed alongside any of those acts as much as today, though the band is hardly a rehash of previous offerings. The trio plays a unique shade of instrumental guitar rock that isnât easily pigeonholed. The influences vary-from The Animals to Sonic Youth to Mark Guiliana, and while those may not be obvious touchstones to the listener, OR takes those disparate influences and fuses them into something very Midwest. Equal parts melodic, dissonant, technical, and structured, Pariah offers densely structured compositions in bite-sized offerings, with all but one of its tracks exceeding the five-minute mark.

The tracks on Pariah are all delivered with a forceful and panoramic production, which gives the songs an animated energy. From the driving rock of âViking Glassâ to the angular and soaring âWitness Marksâ to the dirge of the sub-eight minute closer âAll of My Children,â OR covers a considerable amount of ground on their debut. Whether youâre a fan of their previous acts, are in search of timeless Midwestern instrumental guitar rock or some combination of the two, Pariah offers eight incredibly listenable and masterfully crafted tracks that loosely echo the past, in the present, while looking towards the future.

ââ¦takes over the audienceâs attention with heavy riffs and a sophisticated rhythm.” â MXDWN

ââ¦hard-hitting instrumentalâ¦ somewhere between post-hardcore and post-rock, driven by tense rhythms and dynamic shifts, melodic but abrasive riffs and unexpected harmonies and hypnotic leads around every corner. It rocks hard, but elegantly and with a continuous sense of adventure as it goes.â â Treble

âThese songs have been gestating for years, and the final product has that refinement all over it… the group never lets one idea sour to the point of repetition. Pariah is the kind of instrumental album that doesnât need an advanced degree in music theory to enjoy.â â Heavy Music Headquarters