Work Party is a new Chicago-based post-hardcore quartet, featuring guitarist Grant Craig and brothers Tristan Widloe (vocals) and Justin Widloe (bass) from recently dissolved band War Brides, as well as drummer Brandon Syph of Snow Burial. They set out with a different mindset for this new project: “I got tired of hyper complex stuff,” says Craig. “I feel like this record is kind of a reversion back to the music we grew up on; taking stuff from 80s hardcore, but approaching it with the sensibilities that we have now.”
They will bring that to bear on their debut album, My Best Days Are Behind Me, which comes out on October 1 through Triple Eye Industries. As a signal of what’s to come, they’ve shared the opening track and lead single “Drunk Conference Call”.
As the title suggests, “Drunk Conference Call” is rife with furious riffs and should-I-laugh-at-that lines. From the dismissive “Wait there’s an email I’ve gotta send / Never mind I don’t give a shit,” to the troubling “Shit I think I have to take this call / Can you tell I’m half in the bag?”, to the downright sad “Do I sit up straight? / Or sleep under my desk you loser?”, it’s a parade of misbehaviour. Delivered in Tristan’s classic snarl, and over breakneck hardcore backing, it becomes even more frantic and messy – which only makes it all the more hilarious and thrilling to listen to. Craig might have wanted to avoid the complex stuff, but that doesn’t mean “Drunk Conference Call” is pure dumb fun, it’s a tightly wound and explosively executed vision of what lighthearted hardcore could be – let’s hope there’s much more to come on My Best Days Are Behind Me.
Listen to “Drunk Conference Call” on streaming platforms or watch the excellent animated video below.
Work Party’s debut album My Best Days Are Behind Me is out on October 1 through Triple Eye Industries. You can find the band on Bandcamp, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
