Hello reader,
Welcome back.
Today, we’re going to delve into the post-punk band Protomartyr. They are a band I would have loved to cover on SWT earlier on, but haven’t had the chance until now. Why? As I am a fan of their albums, the band’s creative output regarding songcrafting and artistry, and overall mindset and ethos. If you’re here reading this, I hope that you are already a fan of the Motor City-based foursome, but if not, you will leave here today being one. Arguably the best currently active Detroit-based band was formed in 2010. Joe Casey (vocals), Greg Ahee (guitar), Alex Leonard (drums), and Scott Davidson (bass) make up the band, joined by multi-instrumentalist Fred Thomas during live shows. From 2020 to 2024, they were joined on tour by the one and only Kelley Deal, who played additional keys and guitar and contributed backing vocals as well. Check out their fantastic KEXP performance here.
The band truly hit its creative stride in the mid-2010s and has maintained it to the present day. Protomartyr’s releases include the following albums: their full-length debut No Passion All Technique (2012), Under Color of Official Right (2014), their first critically acclaimed album The Agent Intellect (2015), Relatives in Descent (2017), the Consolation EP (2018), Ultimate Success Today (2020), and Formal Growth in the Desert (2023). If you’re going to delve into their discography, I’d recommend starting with The Agent Intellect and working forward to the modern day. Though if you start with Formal Growth in the Desert and work backwards, that’s a good listening experience as well.
On Friday, September 25th, via Domino Recording Company, the band releases its seventh full-length album, Hotel Usona. The album’s press release notes, “Over the last two decades, Protomartyr—vocalist Joe Casey, drummer Alex Leonard, bassist Scott Davidson, guitarist-multi-instrumentalist and co-producer Greg Ahee—have built one of the most rewarding and often exhilarating bodies of work in recent memory by veering in and out of darkness, grappling with what most frightens us, saddens us, disgusts us, embarrasses and enrages us. The stuff that makes us human. Casey has imagined his country as an aging hotel here, each song a room haunted by its own troublesome guest: the slow paralysis of modern life (“Sounds We Cannot Hear”), AI (“Feed the Sewer”), deportation (“Third Country”), warped patriotism (“Exalted Eagles”), violence (“The Knife Dream”), JD Vance (“Converts”), and the often unbearable weight of becoming a father anyway (“Checking Out”). It’s a hard look at a nation in free fall, gripped by fascism.
Musically, Ahee has built worlds within a world, drawing new influence from the Middle East and ‘50s exotica, finding common ground between dread and joy, a speciality. All of it—Leonard’s drumming in particular—is rendered more tangible and terrifying by Fridmann, whose son, Jon, contributes horns. You can feel the stakes in every song, feel the band levitating to meet them. They’ve never sounded more powerful.” Hyped yet? Sound like a band you could get behind and support? Yeah, us too.
In the same press release, Iggy Pop had the following to say about Protomartyr:
What is a Protomartyr? I don’t really know, but I imagine it may refer to an earthly being who wants a little more than the usual shit out of life. A person or persons who want to be part of something beautiful and interesting, with the understanding that you may pay a price for that, and that others who come after will have an easier time. Kind of like Jesus.
So then there is Protomartyr the band. Four guys who are very, very skilled musicians and creators who I suspect would be totally fucked without the intervention of their talents, which are considerable. They are, to put it crudely, a kind of rock band out of Detroit. That’s a subject I know something about.
And they’ve made a new album. It is highly themed and symphonic in its reach. I could call it a kind of drive-through Sgt. Peppers, but that would miss the mark. This record is Wagnerian, it reminds me very much of the Opera Tristan and Isolde (by Richard Wagner). Musically, it sounds modal, and kind of chromatic, like I imagine Celtic war horns might sound in some forgotten battle. The singer, Joe Casey, is blessed with a beautiful voice that you want to listen to, but he stays perverse enough to keep things interesting when he wants to get petulant or a little bitchy.
One of my favorite moments on the record is when he simply announces, all alone, “We got a bad review.” Which presides a furious outpouring from the entire group. Wow! I wish I thought of that! And in today’s world, how relatable! Who hasn’t gotten a bad review? Plumbers, shoe salesmen, etc etc etc. right up to Influencers. All is reviewed… I’m trying hard not to let this attempt at biography turn into a review, but hey, I’ve been listening to these guys for quite a while now and I get the feeling that they are a slow growth item, something that is gaining followers, listeners, and respect little by little, over the long haul. There’s a lot of content here. The four of them can shift rhythms and harmonics very, very smoothly in a way that seems effortless. It’s the mark of fine arts in a popular group.
— Iggy Pop
Hyped up for the album yet?
How about even more hype for both your ears and eyes via the band’s YouTube channel. No shrimp for you? The engrossing video for the song, “Sounds We Cannot Hear”:
(All credits and rights to Protomartyr)
Talking about warped patriotism in the song “Exalted Eagles”:
(All credits and rights to Protomartyr)
The heavy surveillance within the video for the excellent song “Feed the Sewer”:
(All credits and rights to Protomartyr)
Overall, Hotel Usona shows Protomartyr creating fantastic art that documents the state of the world today, especially the US. It’s not a happy or uplifting album, nor is it meant to be, given our state of affairs. It captures and documents the present day, acting as a time capsule while also delivering excellent songcraft that will captivate as you listen. The result is art in many forms, but art that goes deeper than seeing a photograph of a moment, as we also get a full nine songs of various compositions. I would recommend a few listens. And time to digest in between. I think the album grows on you as you process it. Kudos to the band for their outstanding, tight-knit musicianship and how they approached each song, achieving a great balance between melody and message. Getting their point across musically, leaving no doubt. Though if you’ve been a long-time fan of the band, this isn’t your first rodeo, and you come to the party with a gift in hand.
The album flows well from one song to the next. Joe Casey’s gorgeous and comforting vocal tone is on showcase throughout each song as well as Greg Ahee’s skilled guitar and all the other instruments he plays. Kudos also to the great drum work from Alex Leonard and the bass playing from Scott Davidson. They continue to play fantastically as a band.
As noted just above the second photo, the album’s concept vehicle is a hotel. The listener is welcomed into the hotel in the opening song, “The Old Hotel,” with bleak lyrics and spectacular brass instrumentation. It’s establishing a pattern that continues throughout the album. The discordant sound and darkness intensify in the next song, “Sounds We Cannot Hear.” It grips you from the opening note, and while it’s unnerving at times, I wouldn’t listen to it in the dark; it’s a gorgeous song. The chorus is an earworm, and I think many will love the touches of brass too. More moments on this album that stood out and still stick with me are the driving drumbeat and jaunty melody of “Converts”, the dance-along, beat-driven drum work in “Exalted Eagles” that pairs with Casey’s intense at times, softer at others vocal delivery, which plays almost like a good cop/bad cop routine. I can easily see the resulting song becoming a favorite on this album for many Protomartyr fans. It will also be another staple of the band’s live shows on tour.
What else stuck with me and will stick with the listener? The brass and shouting vocal delivery in “The Knife Dream”, and the thrashing nature of “Feed The Sewer” in both its melody and vocal delivery. The rhythmic drumming and synth in “Lavender – Gospel”, and the intense spoken-word delivery of “Third Country” that gets angrier and angrier into a descent into madness for the longest and closing song, “Checking Out.” The devolution is executed wonderfully. It leaves the willing listener captivated until the final moments.
All that being said, Hotel Usona gets 4 out of 5 Scum Drops from me. It is another good album in the band’s discography. I think it fits well among their better releases. I don’t think many will have it at the very top of their favorite Protomartyr albums, but some will. And I wouldn’t argue with it. The album is no worse than the middle of the band’s discography so far. There’s a lot to like here. And relative to this year’s new releases, that equates to a 4 Scum Drops rating, which would place it within the 72nd to 83rd percentile of all new albums. Add it to your collection in the format(s) of your choice.
I’ll always advocate that you take the time to listen to every album in its entirety. Listening to Hotel Usona will take X amount of time from start to finish. Along the way, you’ll discover your own favorite songs without the influence or bias of others. After several listens, I found the songs highlighted in green below to be my favorites on this album.
The tracklist for Hotel Usona (song length)
- The Old Hotel (4:21)
- Sounds We Cannot Hear (5:26)
- Converts (4:06)
- Exalted Eagles (4:21)
- The Knife Dream (5:59)
- Feed The Sewer (4:36)
- Lavender – Gospel (4:10)
- Third Country (4:38)
- Checking Out (7:42)
Total runtime: 45:19
Like what you heard? Check out the band’s website, their Linktree, and listen to more on their SoundCloud and YouTube pages. See their socials: Instagram and Facebook, and their tour dates.
If you like reading reviews, here’s some more that I’ve done for SWT.
Thank you for reading and supporting good music.
Until next time,
Alex
Scummy Water Tower Productions co-founder, reviewer, business manager, and editor. Thank you for visiting this site, scummywatertower.com, and YouTube for Water Tower Sessions and SWT Interviews. And all of our socials.
Questions, feedback, or more? Contact me: alex@scummywatertower.com
