Empty Markets
Stainless Steel
Albums like the Empty Markets’ Stainless Steel are one of the reasons it’s great writing for Ground Control. You see, we are definitely music snobs over here so we know exactly what’s going to float our boat… except when we don’t. It’s easy to pick favorites and trust the bands and labels that have proven themselves to us and that have passed a certain quality control, but that means we sometimes we miss the good stuff. We were fortunate enough to work with Texas label 12XU to promote the wonderful OBNIII’s Worth a Lot of Money, but lucky us they included some more goodies in their package, and Empty Markets were part of it.
I had no clue who the Empty Markets were before 12XU brought them to my attention, but boy am I lucky I know about them now. The Empty Markets encompass all that is good with rock music: it’s raw, fast, scary and it sounds incredibly urgent. It’s the kind of punk rock that gives me a sweet taste in my lips whenever I put it on. Swapping vocal duties between guitarist Schmidt and bassist Svacina puts a great contrast between songs that otherwise might run the risk of just blending together. Regardless, Stainless Steel sounds like a single blow right to the face and have established themselves as a band to watch out for.
Be sure to pick up this up on vinyl as it’s hard to pick a cooler format than the minimalist and pure packaging from the folks at 12XU. Stainless Steel is a pleasant surprise in a year already full of highlights.
Get your copy here.
