Standing between genres can act as a vantage point. For Prayer Group, sitting at the intersection between noise rock and hardcore has armed them with the necessary arsenal to propel their anger and frustration forward. And so, through a series of EPs and singles, this work culminated in their 2022 debut full-length, Michael Dose, where The Jesus Lizard methodology collided with a latter-day KEN Mode darkness.
Their follow-up Strawberry stands on the same ground. The noise rock infects the structure, turning the title track into this backward-unfolding pummel, a specimen of their Swans-ian influence. At the same time, their off-kilter guitar mechanics continue to draw inspiration from The Jesus Lizard, with the bumpy, looping motifs that exert an asphyxiating pressure in "Meatgrinder". They accompany this with some more intricate guitar playing in "Concern", where the quasi-melodic phrases are contorted toward a discordant form.
The counterweight is the punk aggression, more pronounced than on Michael Dose, and Prayer Group come crushing down with conviction. The abrasive quality of "Plagiarism" sees them moving toward a punk-ish tone, something that they employ throughout Strawberry for maximum impact. Where this hits hardest is when they push old-school form through the noise rock distortion meatgrinder, resulting in the most vicious outcome in "PR Nightmare."
Where Strawberry diverges is in the newfound weight that Prayer Group embrace. In the past they have relied on their noise rock and punk sides, but now they enhance this through a sludge perspective. "Variance" is the first instance where this comes through, the heavy riffs merging with a psychedelic twist. In that mode, they project a deeper vitriol, the title track coming down with a near apocalyptic quality as the heavy bass ceremonially lays down the foundational groove.
Yet all these elements would amount to little if Prayer Group could not fuse them convincingly. There is a palpable tension, a push and pull between noise rock rigidity and punk explosiveness, but the transitions arrive naturally. At the same time, Strawberry carries an intrinsic unpredictability. Off-kilter, unstable riffs can be followed by a cathartic burst of aggression. The fast hardcore pace interchanges with sludge-ridden passages, which then resolve into a post-hardcore progression. None of this is necessarily new, but Prayer Group are so embedded in this idiom, and so honest about it, that they turn it into a hard-hitting banger with Strawberry.
