I’ve been meaning to review this damn thing since June. I get distracted. Anyway. Bleeding Fractals have been around for a few years, and they play a great bit of post-hardcore. If there is one thing I love, it is mathy punk rock. Bleeding Fractals provide that in spades. The Dim Orange Lights is 23 minutes of fantastic.
“Burning Styrofoam” kicks the record off in fine form. Loud, chaotic, but maintains a great melodic sensibility. Everything builds up to the album centerpiece, “Beautifully Awkward.” While this record never quite falls into full on emo territory, it certainly shares a certain sensibility. Personal, cathartic lyrics are the name of the game.
As a band, Bleeding Fractals are adept at making great music. The Dim Orange Lights is melodic in all the right places, but loud and mathy just the same. There is a lot going on here, and it sounds great. Production on post-hardcore shit, or punk in general, is always a little touchy. Too much and it sounds glossy and lame, too little and it sounds like shit. This record is just shiny enough, but never overpoweringly so.
This has had a good amount of spins for me since June, and I think anyone reading this should totally check it out. Don’t let a good thing pass you by. DIY bands need support, and this is a great chance to do so.
Team Reasonable 