While the Toronto label, Arachnidiscs, is known for its noise-drone artists and various other cool oddities, their imprint label No Love is aimed at folks who prefer something a few degrees closer to popular college radio. By choosing what is considered a relic by many, Arachnidiscs/No Love have joined the chorus of indie labels who are returning to the cassette format largely due to the LP’s unsustainability for small batch producers.
It is quite a fitting scenario for Everything is Geometry, a two person band with a revolving cast of characters, whose latest release, titled 2015, questions the sustainability of us humans in general. EIG’s sound is a perfect format for the DIY cassette aesthetic. Their website proudly boast of analog exploits with various four track or tape machines mentioned. Keeping it real, the album was conceived over vast distances by sharing cassettes from the east and west coast of Canada. The result is a surprisingly intimate collection of downer-rock gems with a few protest songs for good measure that sound like they were played in the same garage and recorded in one take. Clocking in at under 20 minutes with a total of 12 songs, EIG tend to get right into things, and refreshingly avoid choruses or any hope for the future really.
“Shake, shake, shake, shake, shake your head / In 50 years, we’ll all be dead.” The wail comes midway through the track “Carpinteria” and echoes a consistent theme about the inevitability of our species. While it may not work out for us humanoids, the earth will carry on with mathematical precision. 2015 reminds us that our shit stinks really badly, though we tend to ignore it. On “Once and Once and Once,” EIG refers to the complacency and comfortableness with which humans have grown accustomed to living. “Some things will change but I know it won’t / We’ll be right here to welcome you home.” The message, whether it is delivered from boyish raspy whispers or higher pitched girl riot wails, is clearly in desperate need of getting out. 2015 is a good year, and tape, to make it happen.