Buzz Sound: Sword II

Photo by Andrew Lyman

Artist: Sword II, the four-piece of bassist and vocalist Mari González, guitarists and vocalists Corey Zuko and Travis Arnold, and drummer and vocalist José “Frio” Izaguirre

Location: Atlanta, GA

Buzz: The artists of the ATL are called ATLiens for good reason. Where Outkast laid the foundational tenets within the scene to look beyond conventions in whatever kind of sound is being constructed, the experimental rock outfit Sword II are keeping that spirit in their creative energy flowing through this year’s breakthrough debut full-length, Spirit World Tour. Their perspective in art is one born from experiencing a timeline like no other in recent memory, where the climates of the world — socially, politically, and environmentally — have made it all the more messier to exist, yet necessary for artists to stand out in their purpose in designing the sonic canvas. Spirit World Tour for that matter is a mind-splatter of those themes eviscerated through guitars, rhythm, electronics, and varying languages and tongues bent within the band’s plane. Entering your peripheral nervous system is an esoteric smash of rough noise textures, woozy new wave shoegaze, and iridescent Internet pop and dance beats that present these times as a dizzy of fleeting beings, making you wonder, “Did that just happen?” before the rest of your body has an opportunity to catch up with that thought.

Sound: The dots attempting to connect between Hotline TNT’s guitar-pop melt and Spirit of the Beehive’s over-stimulated noise-pop moving in patterns and speeds which ultimately leave Sword II outside of any attempted Venn Diagaram

Recommended: “First Rule of the Bug”, “Body”, and “Silver” off this year’s debut full-length, Spirit World Tour

Sword II’s Spirit World Tour is available now.