EP Premiere: Double Grave—’Ego Death Forever’
Posted: by The Editor
Name changes are rarely smooth. When a band has an established audience and they decide to swap monikers, fans often regard the choice as more of a controversy than it actually is. It’s usually a long time coming, and it’s usually for the sole purpose of not being confused as “x” act from Europe with the same name. But names are an essential part of an artist’s identity, and even if the reason for switching is rather banal, it’s always a convenient opportunity for a band to get a fresh start and introduce a new sonic direction. That’s what appears to have been the case for Double Grave, a Minneapolis trio who used to call themselves Ego Death.
Currently, the band’s somber grunge dances closer to shoegaze than it does conventional power-pop. But even in their Ego Death days, the band were a limitless amalgam of ’90s sub-genres. And Ego Death Forever, a six-song re-issue of what the band essentially refer to as the best of their back catalog, highlights their multiple musical egos in a manner that points to their evolution. In a recent interview with Post-Trash, the band said that this release, which we’re premiering below, is like closing an “awkward gap in our identity.”
It’s sort of a bold move for a band to re-release material that’s barely half-a-decade old and present it as something fans should be excited for. But Ego Death Forever is a terrific set of songs, irregardless of your familiarity with the band’s newer material, and despite them being written years prior. There’re self-proclaimed “gloom pop” punkers like “In The Morning,” “Orange Soda,” and “The Kiss,” and a more straightforwardly grungy track like “Deceiver.” However, the standouts are the ambitious cuts, “Days” and “Sunlight.” The former sounds like it could’ve been an outtake on The World Is A Beautiful Place & I Am No Longer Afraid To Die’s Whenever, If Ever, with its swirly post-rock climax and muted trumpet coo’s. And then “Sunlight” is an eight-minute shoegaze journey that’s broken into three passages, each one louder, fuzzier, and more all-consuming than the last.
Stream the damn thing in full below ahead of its release this Friday:
Ego Death Forever is out 6/14 via Forged Artifacts.
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Eli Enis | @eli_enis
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