"While our original intention was to start a Combatwoundedveteran-esque emoviolence band in 2016, it didn't take long for us to figure out that noise was what truly suited us," says Ian, vocalist/saxophonist of Long Beach, CA-based noisecore outfit, Christian Lovers.
"At the end of the day, noise was simply the most cathartic genre to play," the musician continues to tell No Echo. "The music then was very rudimentary, as neither I nor our original drummer really knew how to make noise. There are a couple tapes that feature this lineup, but they are rare.
"In December of that year, my best friend Andrew joined on noise and guitar, and he was pretty much the key to the formulation of our sound. We played our first show in January of 2017 and have been consistently playing together since."
Christian Lovers just dropped a split with Virginia grind-minded vets, Suppression, and it's a doozy:
Admittedly, No Echo isn't as well-versed on noisecore as Ian and his Christian Lovers cohorts are, so we ask for a primer on what they're about. "We call ourselves a noisecore band, but we try to fit as many influences as we can into our music—so long as it remains under the general umbrella of noise. We like a lot of shit, as none of us are really musical elitists or gatekeepers in any way.
"Obviously, we're influenced by the 'classic' noisecore bands like Sore Throat, Deche-Charge, Gorgonized Dorks, etc. But we also love grind, jazz, electronic, and hip-hop, as well. Pretty much every John Zorn project is also a huge influence."
The Suppression split is the follow-up to Christian Lovers' 2020 release, Burn the Beach. And speaking of beaches, how has their local scene taken to what Christian Lovers have been doing? "Our local scene has received us surprisingly well, I think, especially considering the kind of music we play.
"We've played noise shows, punk shows, electronic shows, even a couple mostly-hip hop shows—and there have always been people who were into us, though I'm sure there've also been plenty of people who couldn't stand us [laughs]. While every scene has its problems, we're thankful for all the good people we've met through doing this.
"In terms of bands/projects we feel a kinship to, there are so many, but some notables are: Misery Ritual, Ritual Chair, Pure Shit, Tension, Fitness, Junkyard Burial, Hexpressionist, Creek Runs Black, Umbral Ash, Counsil, and Coup D'etat."
Ian is clearly thankful for the extreme music community Christian Lovers are part of. "We've met and befriended so many wonderful people who are making experimental music right now that it would be impossible to list them all."
The Christian Lovers/Suppression split is available on both cassette via Chaotic Noise Productions, and digitally on Bandcamp.
Christian Lovers on social media: Facebook | Instagram
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