Wasteland: What Ails Our People Is Clear (studio album)
by Lice

Requires multiple listens to be fully appreciated, but I suspect I am looking at an album of the year candidate - yeah, it's still extremely early, I know.

From pjohnsongolf 02/04/2021 23:56

When listening to this I feel like I’m walking through the capital wasteland in Fallout 3

From Mercury 01/11/2021 17:26

80-90/100 (Dark, at times -oftentimes - brilliant mix of Post Punk, Prog and Noisy rock that kept me on my toes throughout.)

This is a great debut album by LICE. I love the oppressive atmosphere, the insane prog explosions, the post-punk heaviness, the swirling and clattering guitars, and way it presents all these sounds in an engaging way.

I felt drawn in for the duration of the album, both by the dystopian mood and by the constantly shifting musical palate. And the fact that the album doesn't lose steam at all and indeed reaches its peak of angsty adventurousness with its run between "Serata" through to the closer "Clear" is, for me, incredibly impressive.

Basically, I'm not the most scholarly post-punk or experimental rock or whatever listener. But to these ears this was just a brilliant debut album full of incredibly detailed prog explorations, straight-up badass guitar explosions, and really cool and unexpected twists and turns at every corner. Kinda love it, tbh. And I am looking forward to not only listening to this and pouring over its details many more times, but also I'm looking forward to what may be coming next from this band.