So, Anyway from London trio Foam, is a dizzying blend of noise-rock instrumentation and post-punk vocals.
On their debut full-length, So, Anyway, London, ON three-piece, Foam, manufacture the type of cathartic, abrasive din that wouldn’t have been out of place on a label like Homestead or Trance Syndicate in the late 80s or early 90s. It’s a dizzying blend of noise-rock instrumentation and post-punk vocals. But beneath the layers of aural dissonance, there is something undeniably urgent and uniquely appealing about these songs.
After the fifty-two seconds of resplendent feedback that begins the record, Foam charge headlong, rupturing what remains of your senses. The opening track, “Tipping Over”, emanates disdain, ultimately sounding like a black hole collapsing in on itself. By the time the title track kicks in, So, Anyway safely secures a place in my heavy rotation. From the opening moments, it rests its sludgy boot firmly on the neck and doesn’t let up over thirty minutes.
Foam consists of Davita Guslits on drums, Patrick Briggs on bass and Nathan Patrick on guitar, with all three contributing vocals, providing a contrasting range from near-spoken to primal scream therapy. “The band is no longer active and everyone is living all over now,” according to Nathan. “Davita in Montreal, me in Toronto, and Patrick still in London.”
So, Anyway was recorded by Nathan Lamb on half-inch reel-to-reel over two days at Foam’s house-venue, The Doam, in London, ON. The lo-fi, live off-the-floor feel adds to the overall DIY aesthetic of the album. It was mixed by Nathan Patrick and Nathan Lamb, and mastered by Steven Sidoli and Nathan Patrick. It was then shelved for a year before being remastered by Nathan Patrick. So, Anyway is finally seeing the light of day thanks in part to the Cooked Raw Label out of Toronto, who are releasing the album as a super limited edition of twenty cassettes.
