Review/Interview: Trauma Harness
Trauma Harness recently released their debut album Trauma Demolitional, and after listening to it straight through just once, I was filled with such sadness. The seven songs on the album are equal parts gloom, post punk, and catchiness! Here’s my two favorite songs of the album and a cool interview with singer/guitarist Josh Jenkins.
Review of Trauma Demolitional
“Eternal Return Company”
Thumping beat to catchy riff to screechy spooky vocals to creepy chorus, this song is one hell of a roller coaster ride! It all comes together to make my favorite song of the album. This particular song fits quite snugly into the post-punk hole, and that is a good thing.
“Indentured Servitude”
Fast, muddy, intense, emotional, screaming, guitars, drums, brief, powerful.
Interview with Josh Jenkins
How did Trauma Harness as we know it come to be?
Basically John, Andy and I’s bands were in minor dry spells, other people in the bands were kinda busy with other things. I had written a handful of songs and vague ideas during weeks of non-activity with my own band, showed some to John and we ended up recording them all with just us playing all the instruments. However, then I plugged in a broken power pack into the wall of the studio we were recording at and totally fried our computer’s motherboard, and lost all these songs. We were waiting to see if it could be fixed, but during that time we were super impatient and just recorded more songs we had written on four track, and then just recorded all the songs on that instead. Sometime around then Andy hopped aboard on bass too! And that’s really about it, as far as formation goes.
How do you write songs?
It’s just what was churned out, this summer was a real downer in many aspects for me. I lost a lot of things/friends and had some terrible experiences. All of what is on our first tape is more or less a representation of that, all forms of things lost or the acceptance of loss and failure. And uh, as far as description, I always say we’re a goth band and John says that’s the dumbest thing he’s ever heard. He says we’re a eclectic punk band. (laughs)
I would compare you to a darker version of The Cure.
We probably have as much goth credibility as Hank Williams, Jr. has in the anarcho-punk scene though, honestly.
What defines goth credibility these days?
How many times you play at Hot Topic, duh!
Well, you gotta get on that!
Yeah, I’ve been calling them twice a week, I think our big break is coming.
Speaking of big breaks. Tell me about Dingle Records!
(laughs) Dingle Records has been my own insignificant record label since 2006, based out of my hometown of Millstadt, IL. Our first tape was released right alongside a compilation tape and a EP by Carte De Visite, another local!
What are your influences?
Yeah, can’t really say for the others, but The Chameleons, Tall Dwarfs, The Membranes, Wire, and The Blackouts are big influences for me. Additionally an entire slew of bands from the pre-Madchester Factory Records are huge influences as well – A Certain Ratio, The Durutti Column, and early New Order in specific. I started playing guitar basically trying to rip off Vini Reilly and Captain Sensible guitar parts.
Have you been touring or working on any new releases?
Yes, we did a three day weekend in early October and it was a blast. The game plan is to get recordings done and do a week or half a week around New Year’s Eve. Hopefully end up playing a New Year’s Eve show! We had a small EP planned as well just to have for download, so hopefully everything moves the right way, and we end up releasing a full album soon.
Be sure to check out Trauma Harness’s debut, Trauma Confessional, over on BandCamp.
