Where screamo is concerned, I go through phases. It’s not an everyday or even every-month indulgence for me. But sometimes a release comes along to remind me of the genre’s awe-inspiring power and rope me back in. Today, that release is Antithesis, the debut EP from California’s MÁU. Released last year and reissued now for a (slightly) broader audience through Zegema Beach, the project comprises four hearty, heavy tracks that move with a whirlwind intensity — except when they churn with the force of trash compactor in the midst of breaking down. The best screamo sounds like a band developing superpowers as a symptom of a nervous breakdown, and that’s the vibe I get from the mix of crushing power and extreme angst on display here. Listen below.
