December 29, 2012 • Smog Veil Records / Snax Records & Tapes
It probably isn't quite right for me to do a review of This Moment in Black History at all, a band I've been following for years primarily because the vocalist is my cousin—but also because I legitimately enjoy their stuff and I'm always happy to hear of a new record by them coming out. Not a whole lot has changed for the band, stylistically speaking, over the years and Higher ≥ Deffer is more or less exactly what I expected from them, though it doesn't quite stand up to their earlier stuff.
This Moment in Black History still is, at its hear, a lo-fi-indie-garage punk band, yet this album in particular has some tendencies toward more straightforward fuzzed-out rock (e.g. "Teabagging (A Loser)") and some melodic vocals provided by the other members of the band. (I'm still not sure whether I think that fits well or not.) Of course, there are still plenty of their traditional catchy punk tunes like "PHD's Not DT's" or "Traumatic Baths", and the silly synths are still plentiful.
Though the album is absolutely fine, I'm a bit disappointed that there isn't a whole lot of the spastic, frenetic, mathy punk style that made It Takes a Nation and Public Square so interesting and fun. This one is a bit slower, a bit less abrasive and in-your-face. Higher ≥ Deffer lacks a bit of the wow-factor that It Takes a Nation had back when I first heard it—but that's probably personal/circumstantial more than anything; it's "just another This Moment in Black History album" rather than something new to me.
Anyway, Higher ≥ Deffer is a good album and would probably serve as a good introduction to the band, but diehard fans be wary. I hope they don't stay soft for long.
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