NYC screamo band Detach the Islands is another band featuring vocalist Ashley Levine of Thin (and ex-Mary Todd), and it also features members of Fluoride, Juan Bond, Husbandry, and Semaphore. They’re gearing up to release their new album A Highly Magnified History this Friday (7/19) via Tomb Tree Tapes, but you don’t have to wait until then to hear it; a full stream premieres in this post. Drummer/vocalist Emmett Ceglia says:
I suppose the main story behind this record is, like so many of late, the pandemic and much it elongated the making of AHMH. By the time 2020 rolled around, it was mostly done, and by the time lockdown hit, I would’ve been ready to start teaching it to the guys and hit the studio. Then I had to move back in with my folks for four months, bringing our momentum to a screeching halt.
With no real rush to do anything anymore, I went back through the songs and reworked each one, steadily refining music and lyrics. For example, the lyrics of, “Deleted,” completely changed and ended up becoming about the experience of lockdown and the ability to rethink what life could be like both during and after this period. By the end of 2020, society had recovered enough where we could all begin learning the songs as well as the recording process. It was really helpful to have something to work towards and to be excited about, especially musically, with our scenes scattered and any way to play shows still a long way off. [Bassist] Eric [Messihi] and I recorded the bass and drums together at Strange Weather over days in December. (One of which was my birthday.)
Siddhu [Anandalingam] and I recorded his guitars in January 2021, and then Jay [Kohler] and I did his over the course of February, March, and April. Ashley’s vocals took the most time with us only being able to sporadically get together over the next couple of years. Life was given many more layers to navigate from 2020 onward of both negative and positive, but we didn’t have a damocles hanging over us. So, we took our time, and ultimately what came out is the best this group has ever produced. I’m honored and grateful to share this record with such talented friends.
If you like screamo/chaotic hardcore of any kind, it’d be pretty tough to deny this record. It goes hard and the intensity never lets up once. Check it out: