Cartel Madras, Wormwitch, and Suzie Ungerleider
Cartel Madras
The Serpent & The Tiger // Royal Mountain Records/Sub Pop
Since 2018, Cartel Madras has constructed a universe of their own with their staple Goonda Project comprising their debut record Trapistan (2018), Age of Goonda (2019), and their latest album The Serpent & The Tiger (2021). The Calgary-based duo consists of sisters Bhagya "Eboshi" Ramesh and Priya "Contra" Ramesh, characterizing themselves as Cartel Madras under their respective artistic monikers. Throughout the span of the Goonda Project, Cartel Madras has immersed themselves in the storytelling device of for-hire criminals dressed in the attire of industrial bass hip-hop - and following the consistency of the two prior releases, The Serpent & The Tiger offers a strong conclusion to this first chapter in the duo’s musical venture.
By and large, The Serpent & The Tiger was developed in separation as Eboshi was in Toronto and Contra in Calgary - despite the distance, the group was able to bring together an astonishing cast of features including Backxwash, Dom Dias, Airospvce, Tyris White, Jide, and Shiro Jackson as well as the production by Dom Dias (tracks 1-4), Naphi (track 5), Tyris White (tracks 6-8), and Jide (tracks 9-10). As the Goonda Project developed, Cartel Madras became more ambitious with each volume of the trilogy ultimately culminating in a fully realized 10-track record.
The record has a cinematic start with the rhythmic groove of “FEAR & LOATHING.” The track sets the scene for this record as it draws inspiration from the Nevada desert and its Hunter S. Thomson-esque descriptions, where the duo describe themselves as prowling as serpents and tigers persevering through the drag of those who can’t keep up with them. “THE GREEN SCARE” kicks off with one of the catchiest hooks off the entire record, as the duo spits out the lines: “Money go 'round for the block / Money go 'round for the mood / Money went 'round on the stock / Money move up when I do / Money make it right with the moves / Money make it count” - Aerospace’s lower voice gives the track a little bit of breathing room throughout his main verse, and his ad-libs play up the later choruses of the track hyping them up further. Perhaps the most noteworthy thing is the subtle production on the vocals during the chorus, as the voices are filtered, effected, and skimmed through in a way that there is a lot to listen to on top of those slick bars.
“EBOSHI’S NEVADA” is Eboshi’s own track on the record, which reflects on facing the end of a relationship. It starts off with some melancholic strings and synths leading up to a tight 808 beat cradling Eboshi’s emotional intensity with line upon line of breaking down how things got too far: “I was on the back of your mind /I was on the back of your lap / You were in the back of the car / You were in the back of my heart…” This is followed by “DRIFT,” personally, this song is one of the lower points in the album as I don’t find it adds much more to the tracklist - nevertheless, the hook that repeats “Pass that spliff” as well as the horns in the instrumental alone make the it worth it. However, “DEEP IN THE JUNGLE” is one of my favourites on the whole record, kicking off with a choral ensemble elevating the listener into the track. Again, the vocal production stands out with how the vocals are effected into cutting off the lower registers of the EQ as well as some of the pitch shifting happening throughout - not to mention the Backxwash feature starts out with a stripped down version of the main beat clearing out the way for Backxwash to eat up the bars, this feature is a cherry on top of a slick track as Ashanti keeps finding her way into many iconic rap releases.
“LAVENDER NIGHTZ” changes the energy of the album from an intensive industrial bass beat in the style of Shygirl to a more jazzy beat reminiscent of Noname with trap elements as White’s production takes over - the track is somewhat short-lived as the duo explores overcoming toxic relationships, however its impact is great as it allows some breathing room where the duo can shift gears. This change in energy is strongly picked up by “Dream Girl Concept.” Living up to the dreaminess of the title, the production showcases a tremolo-driven groove where Cartel Madras take on a more pop and R&B vibe approach to their vocal delivery - this culminates in a dreamy vaporwave-esque beat change featuring warm synths and brass, making way for some soft lyrical deliveries on the lines “Shake that booty.” Contra gets her own song with “CONTRABAND” taking on the softer turn in the record, while the lyricism expresses a sense of exasperation as lines like “I spiral before I sweeten” and the refrain “I always feel like I'm running out of fucking time” capture the spirit of the song and seamlessly transitions into “WORKING,” which picks up the energy from the dreaminess of the last song over to a club deep bass track - the sidechain and pulse in the production of the beat really adds a sense of motion that gives a unique glamour as the backdrop over which Eboshi and Contra spit bars. The album wraps up with “MOON DRILLE” which brings everything full circle into a sound reminiscent of the earlier songs in the tracklist - Shiro Jackson’s feature is certainly one of the highlights in the track, as it goes so hard picking up the speed over this pretty stripped down beat. On the other hand, Cartel Madras’ verses offers a sense of overviewing the heights they have built themselves up to, with a sense of grandeur and reflection spitting out: “I was like / I was like eighteen stories high, I was just eighteen / Looking up to the sky with my eye on the time, I was just eighteen.”
Having seen the progress from Trapistan to The Age of Goonda over this finale of the Goonda Project, The Serpent & the Tiger is a landmark in the Cartel Madras’ creative development into a fully realized album where they are able to revisit the sound they have already established in prior releases while taking the opportunity to show off the diverse sounds that they can achieve - while some may regard this variety as detrimental, in my listening experience, these changes in pace were eloquently reflected in the tracklist sequencing in a manner that makes this record a strong cohesive staple of the duo’s catalogue. With the Goonda Project coming to an end, one can only speculate what Cartel Madras will be up to next aside from the anticipated prospect of touring - we can hope that this last record is a launching point for the duo to explore new concepts and experiment with the bases they have covered so far.
- Simone A. Medina Polo
Wormwitch
WOLF HEX // Prosthetic Records
Wormwitch have been stoking a primal fire with their sonic attack since 2015, and with every offering, the flames grow taller and brighter. 2015's demo, The Long Defeat, is largely a black metal release, but is also heavy on the death metal side with a clear hardcore influence to it, these songs can also be found on 2020's Septentrion Revival. In 2017 the band unleashed their first full length album in Strike Mortal Soil, intertwining black n’ roll with gritty crust-punk. This is where I personally found and fell in love with Wormwitch. 2019 saw the release of their second full length album, Heaven That Dwells Within. In this record you can really see the band creating their own sound, going for a more mystic and artful approach, while still possessing that contagious black n’ roll sound that commands moshpits.
Now in 2021, Wormwitch strike again with hellish force on their third album, WOLF HEX. This record is another great display of the unique sound Wormwitch are becoming known for, leaving few bands that you could compare them to. The spooky, fantasy driven atmosphere that had a strong presence on the previous album is back in full force, with three tracks (Lunar Maniac, The Crimson Proof, and Grail) dedicated to creating a dark climate of a forest in the dead of night. The album kicks off with easily my favourite song title of the year, “Canadian Denim Mountain Attack”. This song rips into your flesh while dressed in a full Canadian tuxedo, stating the only two rules that matter… to rock and to roll. The next few tracks are the singles that were released prior to the full album, broken up by the haunting “The Crimson Proof”. The first of those is the wall-of-black-metal might called “Wolves of Ossory”, a truly malicious track inspired by Irish Werewolf Lore. I love the punchy growl that kicks off “Hammer of the Underworld”, it really ups the excitement for the rest of the track, which is full of badass riffs and brutal snarls. The black magic ritual in “Abracadabra” builds up with squealing guitars, then hits you with a fast paced two step riff with a mighty “all right!”, and remains high octane throughout. The first half of “Leering Crystal Effigies” contains nightmarish howls with droning guitars, and the second half finishes strong with hair raising guitar tones and hypnotizing drums, leading into the ominous, yet calming “Grail”. My personal favorite track on WOLF HEX is “Teeth of the Dawn”, the guitar soloing at the beginning is impossible to resist, and transitions beautifully into a bouncy riff that gets the blood pumping! A nice touch I’ve noticed with all three Wormwitch albums is the last lyric of the last song is always the title of the album. All though the original songs are complete for WOLF HEX, we are treated with possibly the best cover song of 2021, Metallica’s “Hit the Lights”. This track works surprisingly well as a black n’ roll song, and honestly I prefer it over the original.
Wormwitch is my favourite Canadian metal band of all time, they were before this release, and WOLF HEX has only strengthened my obsession with their music! If this isn’t your first exposure to the band, I strongly suggest going back and listening to every release front to back, you won’t regret it.
- Justin Olson
Suzie Ungerleider
My Name is Suzie Ungerleider // Stella/MVKA
My Name is Suzie Ungerleider is Suzie Ungerleider’s (formerly known as Oh Susanna) 10th studio album.
There is a grace in the simplicity of the songs, a buoyancy that rolls off Ungerleider’s tongue and out of the strums with a natural ease and clarity; her voice weighted by the natural and cosmic in equal parts. Tinges of Prince (Kathleen) Edward(s) County country, the album echoes with characters and pleasures that have marked the longtime songwriter's path.
The album feels like a celebration of changing seasons, the rush of summertime giving way to the bittersweet excitement and chill of incoming autumn. It drives naturally and with ease, like a hatchback ambling toward a longtime friend’s daughter’s birthday party. Baby boy passed out in his car seat, chin to chest, head bouncing softly with the roll and bump of potholes along the gravel.
Ungerleider’s voice carries a primordial mischievousness and sparkle; a tattooed wrist under green flannel, a sticker with a middle finger on the dash, aviators and sweetgrass dangling from the rearview mirror.
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There's an assortment of cakes and pies laid out for Olivia’s fifth birthday; a plastic tablecloth blows over a bowl of chips on the table. A hired clown entertains a small gathering of children.
”Olivia, why don’t you get Jared a hotdog, sweetie? If you want another glass of coke, you have to eat a hot dog."
To her friend, “You look like you need some sangria.”
“Fuck, do I ever.”
- JD Ormond
