Re-Discovered Vol. 1: Loftus - Hugs and Drugs

Currently, Zegema Beach are nailing it with their non-Screamo-releases! Check the new albums by CROSSED & ANNA SAGE for some quality, chaotic Metalcore. And abso-fucking-lutely spin the hell out of LOFTUS' "Hugs and Drugs". This is no new record, it came out in 2004 and is a re-release by Zegema Beach. First of all I gotta ask: Where the hell have all the cool labels been, when this was originally released?!? This would've turned some heads back then, if released by Level Plane or Equal Vision Records. In terms of quality "Hugs and Drugs" can definitely hang. It's no masterpiece or something, but it would've been a solid foundation for them to build upon.

Zegema Beach had me with their "FFO: ...SINCE BY MAN"-description. Their debut-album "We sing the Body electric" was my all time favourite record in that kind of style and I still put it over "Jane Doe", "You fail me", "We are the Romans" or "Calculating Infinity". I can see some similarities to SINCE BY MAN, as LOFTUS switch between chaotic, manic, groovy, scream-y outbursts and more Postrock/core-ish, moody parts. 

The way they do it is kinda questionable, as you get a 7-minute ambient track at the beginning and something similar with the closer. The title track is the only track where they manage to melt both "worlds" together. Still, some of the other tracks, like "Sweetheart" or "Crusty", feature some epic, apocalyptic clean guitars to switch things up a bit. What's left is grind-y, high energy Hardcore to fuck you up in the span of one or two minutes.

"Hugs and Drugs" is LOFTUS' sole album, and once again proves that this kind of stuff was best done in the early to mid 2000s. Definitely give this a shot if you're into the likes of THE NUMBER TWELVE LOOKS LIKE YOU, FEAR BEFORE, BOTCH or SINCE BY MAN. I can also see this working for ORCHID-afficionados, especially for the ones who're way into "Gatefold". 

Stream @ Zegema Beach Records