The fourth album from San Francisco trio Erase Errata is a short, concentrated burst of energy that opens with one of the best kinds of songs: a song about music. Like a dance track about a bass line, History Of Handclaps grounds the listener firmly in the moment, allowing singer Jenny Hoyston to take an existential journey through recent musical history.
The effect is not unlike Erase Errata’s live-off-the-floor sound in general, a dense and politically charged reincarnation of early 80s New York City no-wave. That movement bluntly rejected the mainstream, full of zig-zagging rhythms, jazz attitude and ADD riffs that sounded like rock music played inside-out.
In 21 minutes, the band adds a variety of moods to that style: an unassuming cosmic trip to the early 70s on In Death, I Suffer wistful groove on Galveston, Dark Tides. But overall, Lost Weekend’s expertly realized take on post-punk is infused with urgent foreboding that feels particularly of the moment.
Top track: History Of Handclaps
