Philadelphia experimental trio Grimace Federation cover a ton of stylistic ground- sometimes they’re a very loud jazz trio, sometimes they’re purveyors of surgically precise, high-concept heavy rock, occasionally they’re getting their feet wet in dance music territory, more often they’re fusing at least two of the three into a versatile, challenging but rewarding sound. Aesop Rock is a big fan, having remixed one of their tracks in the past and recently tweeting about a new collab with them in the works.
Their new track, “Limey Fuck”, released via Soundcloud, finds them somewhere between between hard-hitting bass music and wistful, droning post-rock, with bass and synth player Jimmy Calvarese outright abusing your subwoofer while Wes Schwartz and Chris Wood create a dramatic atmosphere, some downright inspiring synth flourishes and a minimalist, kick-heavy beat. The first three and a half minutes sound like late-period Telefon Tel Aviv at their darkest, but the wobbly mayhem payoff is nothing short of triumphant.