Since the release of their debut EP “Pohlsmoker” in 2012, POHL has shifted inelegantly through various iterations, line-up changes and self-imposed intermissions. But one constant that has forever remained scorched onto the temporal lobes of those in-the-know is the glorious sound they leave in their wake.
Based in Sheffield, POHL is and always has been a stunning and Brutal Noise Rock duo, currently featuring former Hey Colossus axeman Will Pearce on guitar/vocals and drummer, Dr Linda Westman of the late Toronto-based Death Metal two-piece, Old Hope.
This June the band releases their debut album “Mysteries;” a sonic tome which draws as much from MF Doom as it does Doom Metal. It’s a swirling, cosmic onslaught of Heavy Motorik riffs and offhand musings about everything and nothing in equal measure.
In intermittent beats, new single “God” summons the glorious thunder Pop of Torche, the pithy lyricism of K.A.R.P. and the DIY derring-do ethos of Guided by Voices.
Stream the track through the YouTube player below:
As guitarist/vocalist Will Pearce explains:
“‘Are you there, God? It’s me, I’m drowning.’ These words came to me in a dream. In times of desperation, it can feel like we’re drowning, pleading with our maker, hearing no reply. But in a twisted way, this song is also about hope. The body may endure several hours of clinical death in cold temperatures, only to rise again like Lazarus. Hence the medical expression: ‘You’re not dead until you’re warm and dead’.“
Pearce, who had previously played with Hey Colossus on their 2019 album “Four Bibles” and 2020’s “Dances /Curses” is thrilled to be teaming up once more with former bandmate Joe Thompson and his Wrong Speed Records imprint. Recorded at the band’s own Cool World studio and mixed by serial collaborator and producer Wayne Adams, “Mysteries” is many things, often all at the same time. Packing astute biblical allusions to random Burroughsian cut ups, it is mystical, profane, sacred, and scatological. Profoundly stupid, perhaps? Or just stupidly profound… Either way, it demands your attention.
“Mysteries,” the debut LP by POHL is released 26th July 2024 on Wrong Speed Records | Pre-Order
Tracklist:
01. Narrator
02. God
03. The Whale
04. Untitled II
05. Revelation
06. Cellar Head
07. The Door
08. Pergamon
09. End
