Written by Sandeep Sehbi

Butcher Boy is a 4-piece from Maine. They came through last night and played a set at THWNN. It was a pretty rad set, they captivated the audience, putting a spell on them with their tunes.

‘Rhubarb’ is their latest release. The first song that plays on the Bandcamp stream is ‘New Home’. Softly sung caterwauling lays on top of sparse and stark drums, reverb’d guitar, and a sparse banjo. This song reminds me of The Books. In that their arrangements are so dense, in a way thats very appealing to the ear. You could say its rewarding to listen to them because you may find something new each time you listen.

Their set last night was pretty rad. We twisted the ceiling light to face the ceiling, and in the relative darkness and the shadows they played their set. The songs were long and winding, with a penchant for elaborate arrangements, a great use of noise. The audience sat on the floor, perhaps to accommodate their jaws. And we watched, and took it in. It’s a nuanced journey.

‘Rhubarb’ is the second song that plays on their latest release. It starts with what could be called a surfy guitar, but a surf sound much modified. There’s a stark beauty to the music, its reminiscent of Neutral Milk Hotel. Or perhaps some of the more experimental parts of ‘Dusk at Cubist Castle’ by Olivia Tremor Control. At times straight out of a Tim Burton film soundtrack. It sounds twisted and epic, and is compelling in its listen.

Talking to the band, they’re headed off to Indiana today. One of their shirts had an illustration of the Maine coast. You could see waves, the trees, the ocean. I’ve been to Maine once, to Portland. It was a weird trip idea when I had too much free time, to go there to Maine, to the city of Portland, and drive along the coast all the way to the northern parts of Florida. The members of Butcher Boy are all super rad people. The night was eclectic in its breakdown, with a sludge rock band playing just before, and an ambient guitar-based project you may well know called Field Sleeper, local to here, in Columbus Ohio.

‘Cousin’ is the final song on the ‘Rhubarb’ trilogy. These names seem as stark as the arrangements. Immediately I think of Sigur Ros, not the new stuff, but the older more cryptic and densely packed arrangements. Those are some of my favorite of their work. I can’t decide if these songs are written in reaction to the wilderness, to the sea. But you can almost feel small strains of those things in this music. Or maybe that’s just me projecting coastal Maine onto this recording. The slide guitar makes this stuff sound so dreamy. There’s a Sparklehorse quality to this song.

I recommend taking a look / listen. This group is a welcome break from your standard stuff. This isn’t a pop record. But its too put together and purposeful to be deemed purely experimental. Its a hybrid of the two, and a host of other things as well, that leaves you with perhaps more questions than answers, in a good way.