Ox Hunger – Gloss on the Blood (Body Horror Dysmorphic Noise)
What perfectly distressed sounds. What pain and suffering. What loathing of the self. Ox Hunger I would normally have passed on because the promo arrived so far past release date (February in this case), but as I often say it’s rare I get music of this type that’s one, good, and two, hmm, good. It’s just good okay, STFU. Electronic music leaning more towards noise and heavy on the experimentation is usually a muddle for the sake of shock; most “musicians” who try it have no idea what they’re doing but their friends pretend otherwise and it keeps the DIY noise tape culture alive somehow. Seattle’s Ox Hunger, however, is one of the exceptions. As you proves with Gloss on the Blood, she doesn’t need friends for verification. In fact most of her friends probably abandoned her after the listening to the pain she radiates. Get ready to ostracize yourself.
I love when I feel like I connect with a musician or band through their music, as though I can empathetically experience, in this case, their misery. Ox Hunger expresses her distaste for all things physical to such a degree that you suffer with her as sounds step out of darkness and take shape. You desire acceptance but find only denial as she pulls apart beats and draws them together in the dark, shrieking for release from her own inner turmoil. And you’ll feel this as you listen to it, you’ll connect with it and collapse, which is what makes Gloss on the Blood so great. The occult angle she takes is a feature of this style, but not as visible as death industrial acts I’ve heard before. Ox Hunger is more about forming before your ears a terrifying vision of body horror and self-hate crafted through electronic hardware. It’s short and will leave you wanting. Wanting for more and wanting for the world to absolve itself of your rejection.
Ox Hunger – Gloss on the Blood
Self-Released
Cover Art: Ox Hunger
4.8 / 5
