It’s probably fair to call Simple Forms‘ new single a song for our times. At very least, the Oregonian outfit would seem to have mined current vernacular for a particularly relevant alliteration. Thus comes the four-and-a-half-minute “Unprecedented Uncertainty” with a plot-twist of a sound that’s somewhere between atmospheric grunge and avant garde black metal, bearing a force of delivery that comes across in deceleration that, after compiling their initial singles into the self-titled Simple Forms EP (review here), signals the five-piece are moving forward with a clearer idea of what they want to do as a band.

Counterintuitive as that might be to the title “Unprecedented Uncertainty” itself, it comes through in the rhythmic intensity of the song, as well as the way the Rob Shaffer and Dustin Rieseberg‘s guitars seem to stand in their own place adjacent to but not necessarily always inside the tumult. Drummer Ben Stoller gets a workout from the moment the song kicks in from its kinda-horrifying intro, and that run of kick and toms and forward push does a lot of the work of drawing the track together, with Aaron Rieseberg‘s bass giving crucial density as the ground from which the vocals of Jason Oswald, more commanding here already than on the EP, echo outward.

One song does not (usually) an aesthetic shift make, but “Unprecedented Uncertainly” lays claim to stylistic territory that Simple Forms had not previously touched on with such purpose, and feels like they’re actively ‘figuring it out.’ All the more reason to follow along as they do. I don’t know what it will lead to for the rest of this year, let alone next, or new songs, or touring, or recording, or breaking up tomorrow and all of this is moot before I even finish this post — you might say the future is uncertain — but you’ll find the cover art, the barebones recording info I hoisted from their Bandcamp and, most importantly, the player itself tucked away safely at the bottom of the post. Listen and breathe.

Enjoy:

All but one could see, the canvas holds the deepest need…

released January 26, 2023
Music Recorded at Red Rockets Glare
Engineered by Dominic Armstrong and Raymond Richards
Mixed by Dominic Armstrong
Mastered by Adam Gonsalves at Telegraph

Simple Forms:
Jason Oswald – Vocals
Aaron Rieseberg – Bass, Synth
Dustin Rieseberg – Guitar
Rob Shaffer – Guitar
Ben Stoller – Drums

https://www.facebook.com/Simple-Forms-2159388204175112
https://www.instagram.com/simpleformsnw/
https://simpleformsnw.bandcamp.com/

Simple Forms, Unprecedented Uncertainty (2023)