Weeping Icon Ocelli (photo by Annalie Bouchard)
The Brooklyn noise-punk outfit, who self describe as “sarcasm dopegaze,” are back with a succinct and powerful new release on Fire Talk Records. The band is well known for not holding back musically or lyrically, and in that regard, this EP is no different. Our earlier coverage included a spotlight on their rapid fire noisy political ripper, “Pigs, Shit & Trash,” the first single from the EP. Lani Combier-Kapel (drums, vocals) explains that it came from the struggle to make sense of the disconnect between the government heads and the people struggling at the intersection of social justice and a global pandemic:
“I was in NYC, where I was born and raised, and where my family still lives. As I watched transplants sneak away to their isolated farms or country houses, I was trapped in a crowded 4 bedroom apartment. Surrounded by death, I was confused, terrified for my aging parents’ health, and looking for any semblance of hope that things could turn around. Around that same time, uprisings and protests for Black Lives Matter were happening every day in NYC – I had good friends who were beaten by police officers and jailed for standing up for what was right. It became blatantly obvious that the government simply wasn’t working for the people and had no clue how to help. These government officials just feel so untouchable – like we can meme them and make jokes about them but at the end of the day, they get to go home to their wives and million dollar mansions and live in their own bubble, not be bothered by the troubles of the world that they created.
When the electoral debates came around, I thought it was very fitting that a fly landed on top of Mike Pence’s head, right when he was talking some bullshit about race in America. I loved that moment, that this fly just randomly shat and vomited on this guy’s head (as flies are known to do to everything they land on). I started imagining this fly as some kind of antihero, claiming one tiny bit of revenge on national TV – a heroic villain attracted to pigs, shit, and trash.”
The second single, “Two Ways,” is a smoldering tune that burns and bubbles, driving just below the surface until the bottom completely drops out at the end. Sarah Fantry (guitar, vocals) explains the song is “about people who want to appear virtuous in their public facing personality, but live a contradictory shadow life in which they do whatever they please, no matter how harmful their actions are to others.” Lyrically and sonically, it almost feels disjointed in its split-personality. Fantry explains, the song’s voice is “stratified into two layers—the outward-facing kind, modern man, looking to learn from the necessarily rapid changes in society—and the sinister, selfish sadist beneath who believes in his own entitlement to act with impunity.”
Ocelli’s two main tracks are tied together by the ambient drone link track of “(everything has eyes)” reminding us that all our actions make an impact and have consequences. Weeping Icon is a band that pays attention to the world in which they exist, and they aren’t the only ones watching.
Weeping Icon live (photos by Kate Hoos)
Ocelli is out now via Firetalk Records and available on Bandcamp and all major streamers.