Minnesota's young hopefuls, Household, have enthralled the masses of hardcore enthusiasts within their local scene since the 2014 debut effort, With Or Without, burrowed itself into canonical underground hardcore. Since then, the abrasive veneer of the band has undergone subtle changes musically while still holding onto the earlier seeds of their sound. On the new LP, Time Spent, Household have bridged nuances of various strands of hardcore in different ways.
The record starts off with the brief instrumental intro of the clean, guitar-trailing rings on “Safesound” that trickle into “Wistern”. On these two tracks alone, a distance is confirmed from the skin that used to fit Household. Throughout the record, the guitar tones clash with each other, adding a disparate fighting edge to the songs. This sound complies with vocalist Joshua Gilbert’s angst that he projects through his cadence, which scrambles between registers as if he is sprawling for stability.
There is an emphasized technicality on Time Spent that welcomes in frantic time signature changes and abrupt off-kilter guitar stabs. The melodic hardcore twang of “Cavity” emulates the flare of Modern Life Is War’s Witness. Gilbert runs away with his emotions as he questions "There must be someone else to blame. The space in my heart spread wide with my hopes". The words are an example of the ambiguous middle ground that young adults are anchored to. “Try Hard” encapsulates the more metallic spectrum of hardcore that unveils a direct and bolder moment on Time Spent.
Fans of Such Gold and Touché Amoré will similarly enjoy this record. Household are able to slip into domains of various genres with enough time to slip out before being pigeonholed to one style. “Undertow” goes further and takes on noodly pop punk, playing to the classic tropes of the narratives within the genre, such as symbolising love interest as a source of comfort. Gilbert complies as he demands "Sweep me into the undertow, a little more safety, a little more you, I’ve been feeling not quite like myself".
Household have evidently become more confident in the vocal display on this record. Yes, Gilbert is autonomous in his stance on the record as the aiding narrator, however the vocal contribution of guitarist/vocalist Abigail Olson is almost overpowering where her vocals reach the surface. Examples of this are on “Withered” where Olson and Gilbert support each other in a simultaneous clean vocal melody that acts as a double-edged blade slicing through a layer of restraint that could categorize Household as a mere hardcore band.
As much as it is clear Household have started to utilize the large scope of their musicianship, followers of the band will be pleased to know that the odd breakdown is not wiped off completely from the new face of the band. “Growing Pains” echoes this with a drum assault that shifts each second resulting in a mixture of time signatures to deliver a breakdown of angular guitar jabs, proving the band can still emulate characteristics of their initial sound in new ways.
On Time Spent, Household have crafted a hardcore record that can assume the temperament of other genres, and in a way, can still be recognizable to their fans.
Tracklist:
1. Safesound
2. Wistern
3. Collecting
4. Sway
5. Dry Eyes
6. Growing Pains
7. Undertow
8. Try Hard
9. 828
10. Cavity
11. Withered
12. I've Been Places
13. Guilty Gone
RIYL: Such Gold, Modern Life Is War, Gatherer
Rating:
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