Track: tunic – Fade Out

Two years ago, Winnipeg trio tunic blazed a trail for themselves with ‘Complexion’, which was (for my money) 2019’s best debut album and best noise punk album. They’re now back with ‘Fade Out’, a song whose video continues the unsettling, visually arresting style established by that for previous single ‘Exhaling’, the title track from their forthcoming second album. According to a press release, frontman David Schellenberg wrote the song as an expression of the pain he felt watching a friend lose his sight following a multiple sclerosis diagnosis.

You can hear his anger at the situation in the way he screams the song’s chorus, while bassist Rory Ellis pummels his instrument like it wronged him in a previous life. The video captures the song’s feeling of hopelessness by showing the band having their faces mauled about by an unseen dentist. Whilst tunic are keen to highlight the more melodic aspects of the song in comparison with their earlier material, for me, ‘Fade Out’ still has more than enough of the abrasiveness that made ‘Complexion’ such a stand-out. It all bodes very well for ‘Exhaling’ being one of the most exciting noise rock albums of 2021. It is released via Artoffact on April 9th. Pre-order it here.