There’s something about grabbing your guitar, plugging into whatever apparatus you have on hand and wailing against the dying of the light. Acquaintances, featuring guitarist/vocalist Jered Gummere (The Ponys, Bare Mutants), bassist Patrick Morris (Don Caballero), drummer Chris Wilson (Ted Leo + Pharmacists, Titus Andronicus, Hammered Hulls) and Justin Sinkovich (guitars, vocals, Poison Arrows, Atombombpocketknife) makes that abundantly clear via its latest single, “Flooded Candle Flickering Flame”.
Sung by Sinkovich, the song isn’t just a walk through the outfit’s underground pedigree but manages to break new ground amid Who-ish thrums and Jesus Lizard-esque aggression. All this while making the listener believe they’re captured in the eye of a storm but enjoying every second of the imminent sonic destruction.
The track appears on the album 8½ Lives, out 31 May.