Despite the poetic sound of the term itself, sundowning -- the concept of people with Alzheimer's and dementia losing their lucidity as day turns to night -- is terrifying. Canadian neo-punkers
Nue Sensae
were so struck by this duality that
Sundowning
became the title of their second album. The term also works to describe a mood change that arose within the band: since their formation in 2008 and through 2011,
not only played as a duo, but singer/bassist
Andrea Lukic
and
Daniel Pitout
seemed almost rigidly against expanding their lineup -- but over those few years, they felt they reached their potential as a two-piece and, seeking a new challenge, tapped
Brody McKnight
to join the ranks as guitarist. With
,
succeed on all fronts, as they continue to deliver
Lukic
's furious roar and
Pitout
's percussive assault as well as move forward with an expanded musical palette thanks to the addition of
McKnight
. Coming from the menacing noise rock band
Mutators
, he augments
's
SST
meets
Sub Pop
aesthetic with corrosive, cacophonous shredding that brings their grunge underpinnings closer to the surface, which is further elevated thanks to production by
Josh Stevenson
(
Jackie-O Motherfucker
) and mastering by
/
Kill Rock Stars
regular
John Golden
. Over
's 14 tracks, there are razor-sharp riff-offs between
("Spit Gifting"), chord crunching with the intensity of a steamroller ("Burnt Masks"), jackhammer jam sessions ("Swim"), plus surprising turns to murky dirge ("Tea Swamp Park") and spooky minimalism ("Say What You Are"). It's part punk, part grunge, part riot grrrl, all slamming together in the mosh pit and exploding into a fist-pumping fury you won't soon want to forget. ~ Chrysta Cherrie