Months’ New Album Is a Thrilling Exercise in Creative Tension

On their second album, the indie rock four-piece tightens up their strong points while ramping up their discordant freak-out side.

Months, Black Hats for War (Self-Released)

[TENSION EXERCISES] On their second album, indie rock four-piece Months tighten up their strong points while ramping up their discordant freak-out side. When Wilson Vediner of Point Juncture, WA, first got together with Deer or the Doe's Aaron Robert Miller two years ago, the best part of the collaboration was the exchange of two dudes with different songwriting aesthetics fighting to get their contributions in. Vediner offers coy, bedroom-soft coos and muted, crystalline arpeggios that set the framework of the best tracks, while Miller is the gruff carnival barker coming in as the volume escalates. The fact that Months have nearly perfected such difficult juxtaposition in just two records is mostly a testament to their rhythm section. Will Hattman's rolling toms and jazzy snare work couples with Courtney Sheedy's thick, enveloping bass lines, laying a precise and sturdy foundation for Vediner and Miller's war of vocal volumes. Even when Months open "Month" with dissonance and bazillion BPM pounding, they still manage to create a sense of tension thick enough to make the louder, inherently more gratifying moments feel rapturous. Just remember to keep your finger on the volume button so you can go full blast the same time they do.

Months: Black Hats For War at Destination Universe (March 2016) from Sean Conley on Vimeo.
SEE IT: Months play The Know, 3728 NE Sandy Blvd., with the Wild Body and Mujahedeen, on Saturday, Sept. 30. 8 pm. $6. 21+.

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