In 2016 a hitherto unknown band from New Orleans released a demo tape. The music was raw, ramshackle, and frayed around the edges, blurring punk, no wave, industrial, noise, and avant-garde music. It was a visceral twenty minutes that left you dizzy, shaken, but delighted. That band was Special Interest. Since their self-titled demo tape the band have gone on to release a couple more singles and albums, but their debut release still stands out, like nuclear shadows on buildings after an accident. But now it has been re-released on cassette and vinyl with a new cover and zine.
The running order is the same, but it has been remastered. Usually, remastering demos takes away the blemishes and makes everything sound smoother but opening track ‘Disease’ seems to have more of a gut punch that left us floored, mouth agape and struggling to stand. It’s an absolute joy. When it finishes you wonder if it’s the same song, but it is. This feeling of musical déjà vu continues throughout the first listen, but it’s during repeat listens that we really start to understand the EP’s power. The standout track is still ‘Art Walk’. Opening with robotic sounding beats before a frantic bass riff kicks in. Over this, Alli Logout delivers an ongoing stream of consciousness that, at times, is barely audible. It all adds to the noise and confusion. What is most remarkable is how catchy the whole thing is. This also goes for the EP in general, but ‘Art Walk’ is just so damn poppy. The main riff gets lodged in your head and stays there. It’s captivating.
Trust No Wave hasn’t lost any of its punch. It reminds me of when I first started going to indie clubs. I’d wade on to the dancefloor to be with my friends. It was all bouncy and gleeful. Then the song changed and something harder would come on. My friends would disappear. I’d be stuck either in the mosh or next to the slam dancers. Throughout the duration of the song, I’d be getting it on all sides, then at the end my musical tormentors would pat me on the back, and we’d walk off together. The aggression was left on the dancefloor. It was exhilarating. This is how I feel after ‘Trust No Wave’ finishes. It’s aggressive in place, but not malicious. At no point do you feel threatened during it’s twenty-minute runtime.
The real joy to Trust No Wave is that Special Interest are still active and releasing music that is as good as their searing 2016 demo. 2018s Spiraling and 2020s The Passion of showed they have grown musically but still possess that special quality that made their original demo such a delight in the first place. Not a lot of bands can say that, and that’s why they still deserve our special interest.
