Floored Faces release Kool Hangs on Nov. 12. So can you hang with it? Are you kool? Yeah, probably. The Seattle-based trio are hardly barring entry when it comes to the flowing, nine-song/34-minute offering that is their second long-player in two years’ time, comprised of catchy — sometimes angular like opener “Shoot the Ground” (premiering below), sometimes aggressive like “Upended,” sometimes desert-hooky like “Now You See It” and sometimes very much of their geography like “I’d Be Broke” and “Out of the Ground” — tracks likewise warm in tone and melody. There’s a linear course, and a narrative underpinning to boot, but even if you just put the record on and let it roll out, it’s ready and willing to carry you along its utterly manageable course. So yeah, you can hang. How do you feel about the ’90s?

For those already down, who might’ve tapped into their earlier EPs or March 2020’s Escapism Prism — prescient of title and limited of vinyl — the songs of Kool Hangs feel somewhat less raw, tighter in their production and structure, but as “Shoot the Ground” demonstrates at the outset, that doesn’t necessarily mean a sacrifice of edge. “All Around You” foreshadows the Monster Magnetism of closer “Bash Machine,” which serves as a near-hopeful conclusion to the post-apocalyptic theme after the noisy “Out of the Ground” and more intense shove of “Head First.” These songs are united in their spaciousness and unflinching in their sense of craft, which is to say, guitarist/vocalist Joe Syverson, bassist Erik Cargill and drummer/synthesist Colin English sound like they’ve taken the time they reportedly did in order to think through and hammer this material into the shape it’s taken — the last year and a half has been good for that and precious little nothing else — and Floored Faces have effectively found a balance between pop efficiency and heavier breadth.

This is to their advantage wherever they want to take an individual track, with centerpiece “Into the Ground” — not to insinuate that anybody was contemplating death while writing about civilization collapse during an actual plague and sundry personal trials, but three songs of the nine here have the word “ground” in the name — building on the momentum of the prior, earliest-Queens of the Stone Age careening vibe of “Now You See It” with a shove the three-piece continue in the nigh-on-motorpunk “Upended.” There’s sonic as well as narrative progression in the interaction between individual pieces, each offering a standout element here or there brought together into the context of the entirety through Syverson‘s vocals, the steady class of the rhythm section’s reinforcement of the riffs, and the subtlety of play that adds value to repeat listens even as the choruses implant themselves on your brain.

Shit, if you can write songs like this, I can’t think of a reason why you shouldn’t. You wanna hang with Kool Hangs? Do it. As my introduction to the band, I find it’s only more encouraging to do exactly that the more I hear it, and with the pattern of quick turnarounds from one release to the next, I can’t help but think Floored Faces might already have the inevitable “next thing” already in the works. They seem like the types to plan ahead to one degree or another.

“Shoot the Ground” is on the player below. Album info for Kool Hangs follows, courtesy of the PR wire:

Floored Faces are the latest to emerge from Seattle’s stoner-psych scene, drawing influence from Northwest greats like the Melvins, Tad and the Sonics. Their new album ‘Kool Hangs’ will be self-released on November 12, 2021.

In early-2020, with the world on hold, FLOORED FACES had time to reflect on their first three years of explosive throughput, and ponder what it is that fuels the band’s creative spark and drive to produce: lifechanging experiences, finding resilience in the face of adversity and hardship, serve as a major influence in their productivity and desire to feed their passions, knowing first-hand that life is short and can change when you least expect it. This is not emotional fluff we’re talking about, recognizing the band has found unbelievable influence from collectively enduring the hardship of nearly losing one of its members to a heart condition, a partner to gun violence, and coming to terms with the reality of managing the mental health of loved ones.

Their new album ‘Kool Hangs’ explores the absurd yet tangible fantasy of an apocalyptic world where the only personal belongings that remain are a motocross bike and a cassette copy of Monster Magnet’s ‘Dopes to Infinity’, and a shotgun. But there’s more than that. “Shoot the Ground” begins this fantasy journey as the main character scavenges for food and other people; strapped with a shotgun he vents his frustration of hours, days and weeks of loneliness. “I’d Be Broke” is about time slipping away from the main character of this fantasy as “Now You See It” explores mentally going against the norm, and the heartbreak of going insane. Kool Hangs is pure fantasy staring down the band’s collective, real-life trauma. It’s genuine, sincere and has no pretense, a Holy Diver meets Bleach mind-melter of an album that the band cannot wait for the world to hear.

Tracklisting:
1. Shoot the Ground
2. All Around You
3. I’d Be Broke
4. Now You See It
5. Into the Ground
6. Upended
7. Out of the Ground
8. Head First
9. Bash Machine

Floored Faces are:
Colin English – Drums, Synths
Erik Cargill – Bass
Joe Syverson – Guitars and Vocals

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