Leaning into the speedier side of the hardcore spectrum, Meantime are not only named for a classic album, but they also rip.
I first profiled the Winnipeg, MB, Canada-based band on No Echo early last year. At the time, vocalist Jessee Kowalski told me, "Musically, we're very influenced by bands like Turning Point, BOLD, Insight, Strife, and Battery, as well as more modern ones like Go It Alone." Yeah, it's a specific strain of hardcore that clearly resonates with a ton of my site's readers, as this recent Instagram post can attest.
Meantime recently forged a partnership with Indecision Records (Major Pain, Power Alone) who will be releasing the group's forthcoming Living in the Meantime album. "I can honestly say if it wasn’t for Chris Williams of the band Change getting our record to them and making the introduction it wouldn’t have been possible," says Jessee about working with Indecision Records.
The second track from Living in the Meantime is a burner called "Lacerate" that should whet your appetite for the rest of the album:
"'Lacerate' was the first song we wrote for the record and I think it’s the first song where we really found our 'sound.' I really like the challenge of trying to write something catchy and interesting with out straying too far from traditional hardcore and I think this song really nails that.
"Lyrically, it’s one the more personal songs I’ve ever written, it’s about self harm. It’s a super cathartic feeling to be open about something I’ve had struggles with since I was a teenager, and I feel like there’s a lot of other people out there who also just suffer in silence."
Jessee is joined in the vocal booth by a compatriot from the Canadian music community: "It features a guest spot from our friend Graeme MacKinnon of Home Front who are one of my favorite bands right now."
Living in the Meantime found Jessee and company exploring new sonic and collaborative paths, something partially afforded by having more time in the studio.
"Traditionally, when we have recorded in the past, it has usually just been our drummer Myles and myself in the studio. This time we really tried to have it be a more collaborative process where everyone had input and played on the record, and I think it comes across so much more energetic and lively than passed recordings because of that.
"It was also nice to not be under any time constraints, to be able to add all kinds of extra layers to the songs and have our guitar player Jesse really take his time with some cool leads."
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Living in the Meantime will be out on December 1st via Indecision Records (pre-order).
Meantime on social media: Instagram | Bandcamp
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