Polis

If there’s a silver lining to the breakup of Milwaukee’s premier gothic shoegaze band White, Wrench, Conservatory, it’s that singer-guitarist Matt Slater can now throw all his efforts into King’s Horses. It’s not as though the city was lacking for noise-rock, but Horses bring a unique sensibility to the scene, combining the effects-laden atmospherics of Slater’s old band with the aggression and melodicism of mid-period Fugazi, and raising the bar for another banner year in Brew City music.

“Not Actually About South Dakota” opens Polis with a deceptively clean guitar lick, but you can tell by the ominous reverb that something dark and oppressive is in store. By album’s end, the tense but conversational tone of “Babylon, The Bride” feels practically soothing, however briefly. Jack Packard’s synth is the blood pounding in your head, but no sooner has the dust settled than chaos again ensues.

The lyrics occasionally come off as condescending, but more often, the clever plays on words suggest these guys just enjoy messing around with language. The album definitely has its intensely personal moments—Slater’s listless monotone of “The city’s been empty without you,” during “In The Interest Of Full Disclosure,” doesn’t disguise the pain behind it. But it’s also tempting to look at Polis as a concept album; most of the songs relate, at least tangentially, to the idea of city life.

The production is looser than on the band’s 2009 debut EP, yielding a more urgent, forbidding atmosphere, and the songs themselves are much more potent. If King’s Horses leaned in more of an indie-rock direction before, they’ve now shifted more toward the hardcore end of the spectrum. Slater’s vocals go from taut spoken word to a vicious scream, but amidst the growling bass and feedback there is always an underlying pop riff for your brain to latch onto. Music this abrasive isn’t accessible for all, but songs this good speak for themselves.

King’s Horses host this album’s release party Friday night at Cactus Club.