Chewing Bread by Basil’s Kite

You’re constantly offered ways to sink into yourself, to reach self-supplied inner peace despite external chaos in a process known as mindfulness. On their new record Chewing Bread, Australian mathcore outfit Basil’s Kite asks the question bubbling below the surface for everyone with a watchful eye; who does our disengagement benefit? Rhythms shift beneath our feet, shaking us awake as we struggle with the band’s microtonal melodies. These motifs serve a wide variety of purposes, from heavy, destructive chugs to catchy, euphoric anthems to dark, moody atmospheres, intentions alternating rapidly to enhance this already incomprehensible environment. No matter how hard we try to retreat inwards and find peace, this album thrusts us out of ourselves and locks the door behind us, suggesting we take a similar approach to problems in our own lives. Our inability to resolve some material problems in our lives leaves us inclined to run away and find stability elsewhere, but as Basil’s Kite suggests, an entire society of terrified narcissists will never resolve anything.