drug bug’s Hell for a Basement is a subtle reminder that emo rock remains a powerful and very much alive vehicle for emotional expression.
Hell for a Basement is an album by drug bug. It was released on April 12th this year.
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Sitar, Primary Artist
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Lyrically, I can’t determine if this song’s about a moody partner or climate change. Other than that, we have a moderately exciting three-part track that manages to drum up enough interest despite pulling entirely from the over-familiar indie-folk-rock sonic palette.
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Rap, Primary Artist
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Simple indie-rock head-bopper here. Again, it pulls its sounds and style from already-familiar palettes, but somehow, there’s nothing about it that treads close to rip-off territory.
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Other Instrument, Primary Artist
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What we have here is essentially, in a bit of a good way, an upscaled indie-rock answer to a milkshake-lunch-date love song.
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Kazoo, Primary Artist
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On the first part of this two-part track, the drums get a bit more exciting on “Star Sick,” but the singing largely remains in the calmer territory. The drums quiet down a bit on the second half, but some excitement is brought back in with the guitar breakdowns that come in towards the track’s end.
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Turntables, Primary Artist
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We get another indie-rock love song here.
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Sampler, Primary Artist
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“Sleep, Pretty Baby” is a nice track overall, switching out the abrasive electric guitars for a more folksy instrumentation overall.
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Didgeridoo, Primary Artist
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The energy picks up twofold on “Between Months.” There’s a lot more vibrance to the instruments, though the vocals remain in their state of melancholy.
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Cowbell, Primary Artist
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With “Seraphim,” we’re treated to a melancholic piano ballad embellished with weighty woodwinds towards its end.
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Primary Artist
“Requiem” picks things up from where “Seraphim” left off, but with a full indie-rock instrumentation, with lyrics that appear to question the essence of some of life’s challenges.
This album is very emo. It feels like it’s milking the life out of the early-noughties era at times, but never in a way that is offensive. It basically uses that sound in its own unique way to convey the underlying emotion of the record, which to me sounds like a general detest of some of life’s more bitter experiences mixed with the occasional ode to a loved one.
Overall, if the likes of the Arcade Fire’s early work, Illinois, and others in this light are up your alley, then you’re in for a light treat with this record.
Show Album Credits
Sitar, Primary Artist, Rap, Other Instrument, Kazoo, Turntables, Sampler, Didgeridoo, Cowbell
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