Anyone who lives in Los Angeles knows it’s not all sunshine and happy vibes. A dark underbelly exists, and that’s the sound that post-punk trio Black Market Heart digs into.
Made up of guitarist and vocalist Spencer Robinson, drummer Shawn Medina, both formerly of The Lords of Altamont, and bassist and vocalist Tina Brugnoletti, their sound is the Los Angeles downtown after midnight, or steamy nights on the east side. With their new album What Happens in the Dark coming out on April 14th, the band dropped a lean and mean title track that hits like a bag full of bricks on the jaw.
Described as a “desperate reach for connection”, the track opens with “The sun it burns my skin, just like the day before”, which feels like a rejection of the California dream, even as it’s sung over upbeat, Ramones-esque power chords. “I will not be afraid of what happens in the dark” Robinson sings, with a brazen certainty, as Medina and Brugnoletti kick up a ruckus of distortion and rhythm.
The song’s a banger, on album that will likely be chock full of them. Check it out in our Bangers of the Week Playlist.
The Indy Review 