Photo by Marcus Maddox

When you enter the scene with a name like “Knifeplay” and a lead single called “Promise”, you’re kind of setting yourself up to sound like the biggest Xiu Xiu devotees. Alas, the Philadelphia-based quintet only share one sonic commonality with Jamie Stewart and Angela Seo in being untethered to any box or genre beyond the experimental, as “Ryan Song”, the latest preview from the band’s debut full-length, Animal Drowning, could easily drift into the realm of dream-pop, slowcore, or Americana folk, yet creates its own air as vocalist and guitarist Tj Strohmer, guitarist John Klein, bassist Alex Stackhouse, keyboardist and string composer Max Black, and drummer John Sciortino saddle heavier depths in its words against its ethereal meadows. “Guilt made the memory, Play and play and / Play and play / But you don’t get no blame anymore,” sings Strohmer. “Why’d they have to make you carry the cross?” The burden here is weightless.

Directed by: Ben Turok

Knifeplay’s Animal Drowning will be released October 19th on Topshelf Records.