Strider Post New Single “Heavy Like a Stone”
I don’t know that it’d ever happen, but I’d like to see this band. Strider come from Ankara, Turkey, and about three years ago, they dropped a whopper of a debut album in early 2023’s Midnight Zen (review here), which brought an immediate sense of perspective to a foundation in heavy and driving desert rock, rhythmically forceful but still inviting the listener along for a hovercraft trip across the dry landscape. The record got some hype in that way of things on Bandcamp, and the five-piece followed with a Nirvana cover (posted here) later in the year as they continued to move forward.
The new song “Heavy Like a Stone” doesn’t sound like it wants to interrupt the thread. It’s not a radical departure and one didn’t expect it to be, but the live-recorded three-and-a-half-minute cut stands ready to define “banger” for anyone asking, and it makes me excited to think there’s a new album on the way. When? I don’t know. Does it exist? I don’t know. But there’s a new song and, duh, if there was a record coming there would be. If you caught wind of Midnight Zen at the time — or are open to it now; never too late; it and “Heavy Like a Stone” are both at the bottom of the post if you want to skip down — you’ll find the post-Kyuss push and fuzz-crunch tonality familiar, and as with the first record, Strider seem once again to be absolutely nailing it.
There wasn’t a grand release announcement for the second LP or anything like that, but the recording info is below, and while I’m talking about Midnight Zen, that album is also newly issued on tape right now through Three Moons Records, though I’m not sure if the same label will handle the next outing or not.
From social media:
Our new song, Heavy Like a Stone is out everywhere. Like running a steep uphill. Let’s celebrate this tomorrow at @kultkavaklidere.
Recorded live at ÇSM Studios/Ankara.
Thank you,
Bora Özkum – Recording and Mixing
Carl Saff – Mastering
Yağız Eyiişleyen – Artwork
Photo: @murkycharade
https://strider.bandcamp.com/
https://www.instagram.com/strider_ankara/
https://www.facebook.com/striderankara/
