Click here to download the EP "Rest Energy"
Y Fuego Mod is the noise-metal project of Chapel Hill’s Jon O’Neill and Jonathan Woollen. Their songs are long pieces of ambient distortion, sustained by energy and tension. These guys have tossed any form of melody or conventional song structure out the window, instead relying on repetition and atmosphere to carry the songs.
This new EP, titled Rest Energy, wastes no time in allowing the band to show what they do best. It opens with a loop of what could be a cheesy ringtone, but the sound is quickly manipulated and delves into a progressive drone of distorted guitars with plenty of feedback and static. A part of what keeps these songs fresh is how unpredictable they are. At any moment they can surprise you with a stretch of clashing drums or a wailing on the microphone. And while it’s easy to characterize Y Fuego Mod’s sound as simply a barrage of noise, it’s the subtleties that keep really define their music. From the clatter of cymbals in the background to the quiet static loops, the environment created by these songs is almost hypnotizing.
Even though a formula like this could easily feel too dark and uninviting, the band somehow is able to keep it playful and spirited. The fourth track on the EP features the guys yelling and making sounds into microphones over a haze of random guitar notes and pounding drums. No matter what it is these guys are doing, you can tell they’re having fun doing it.
Click here to download the EP "Rest Energy"