There’s a noisy ruckus coming up over the border from Connecticut, and we have Perennial to both blame and thank. The art-punk trio this week explode out of whatever speakers we’re awarding with the burden of music on “Perennial In A Haunted House,” the first offering of their sophomore album In The Midnight Hour, set for CD and cassette release February 1 with the vinyl arriving a month later. We mention the physical product specifically, because the band — dedicated to playing only non-bars and all-ages shows — instantly brings us back to a time when music had meaning and value and wasn’t just churned out for the insatiable digital consumption machine.
At only 1:42 runtime, “Perennial In A Haunted House” is a total ripper, utilizing quiet spaces as carefully as the loud, and creating its own world in an instant.
“Narratively, we wanted to capture that odd, ghostly quiet after the party has died down, long past the witching hour, after the needle’s been lifted from the record,” say Perennial. “The song itself couldn’t be louder, but in terms of story the mood is this quiet, haunting thing. Moments like that are like haunted houses of our own making: Even mirrors or shadows or balloons are a little bit eerie at that point; that stillness in the room a few hours after New Year’s, when it’s just an empty ballroom and yesterday’s party outfits.”
Perennial have a few live dates coming up around the Northeast, including an October 23 appearance at Looney Tunes in Allston. Feels like a must-see kinda show. Get into the action below.
Perennial 2021 Live Dates:
October 23 – Looney Tunes – Allston MA
October 29 – Halloween Show – Arts Center East – Vernon CT
November 5 – Bard College – Annandale-on-Hudson NY *
December 17 – Troy Speakeasy – Troy, NY
December 18 – Mum’s House – New Brunswick, NJ
* w/ Bacchae, Spiritual Cramp