Live Review 018-The American Working Class [LONG ISLAND]

Live performance:****     Times Seen:2

Summer Sessions (2014): 8.9

New Greens (2015): 9.3

Genre 1: Math Rock

Genre 2: Experimental

Genre 3: Ambient

Genre 4: Post-Punk

For Fans Of: Giraffes? Giraffes!, Chon, TTNG, Antarctic , +Animals As Leaders , Bangladeafy, A Lot Like Birds, Circa Survive, prog rock, weird math music. 

Formed In: 2014

Status: Just Chillin’ (Pretty sure the drummer is recovering from an injury)

Label: Unsigned

The American Working Class is a duo of math rock wizards hailing from Nassau County, Long Island. Their debut EP Summer Sessions sounds as non-chalant as the title implies. The duo makes music that sounds somewhere in between a jam and written material. The drums and guitar balance each other very well, and the first three songs of the Summer Sessions EP sound like they could all be parts of one song. The fourth song "Ricky Spanish" continues in the same manner, but has a hidden gem in it that sets it apart from the rest. After a pedal interlude, the last minute or so of the song switches gears completely. Short and sweet, but a fun twist for the end of their debut work. This is a cool quick record to pop in. 

TAW's sophomore release, is noticeably more mature sounding. From start to finish, there's more variety, and possibly some new influences such as Chon. The guitarist also sings, which changes things even more. He has a unique and soothing voice which fits the band's style well. The audio clip in the first song "About As" somehow manages to fit very well. The outro in the second song is really cool and spacey. I like the band's subtle way of ending that song. The third songs starts with an awesome speech clip, and an excellent groove. Guitar and drums fuse together effortlessly. There's even a mathy-breakdown in this song. 

When I saw The American Working Class for the first time, it was at Evolution Sound Stage, and they happened to be the only band I didn't know on the bill. My friend Cody Hosza had them labelled as math rock though, so I knew I'd enjoy them, as well as the fact that they were put on a spectacular line-up with all of my friends (Blueblack, Luke Zwelsky Group, It Came From Space and Animus Apart). The American Working Class certainly did not disappoint. I saw them again a second time at O'briens with a bunch of other experimental and math rock bands. Their drummer was a fill-in, but you wouldn't have known unless you were told so.
The American Working Class's  music is even more intense and dynamic live. If you like technicality and mellow beauty, I definitely recommend catching these guys when they play their next show. It'd also be interesting to hear what they come up with if they ever do a full-length. I happen to be looking forward to both!

Go like them on facebook --> https://www.facebook.com/theamericanworkingclass/?fref=ts

Or buy their music (or download for free) on bandcamp here: https://theamericanworkingclass.bandcamp.com/album/new-greens