Krill Forever

Krill follows up their brilliant second album, Lucky Leaves, with perhaps the best-named EP in history: Steve Hears Pile in Malden and Bursts Into Tears. The EP is a concept album about two Bostonian chums, Steve and Mouth, who become characters in the Pile song “Steve‰’s Mouth.‰” They attempt to start a band and play with Pile, but ultimately fall into existential crisis upon realizing that they‰’ll never amount to the same level as the quartet, a topic that‰’s way more relatable than it sounds. This story provides the perfect backdrop for Krill‰’s seamless lyrical blend of absurdist humor and the heartbreaking truths of reality.
This blend has never been better than on “Turd,‰” where a piece of shit swirling in a toilet bowl serves as the metaphor for Mouth‰’s hopeless depression. Krill themselves sound more focused without abandoning their jagged, jangly, immediately catchy riffs. The opening title track is a crash-bang storm of the chaotic melodies we‰’ve come to love from the Allston scene. Aaron Ratoff‰’s sharp, sparkly guitar is an impeccable counterpart to Jonah Furman‰’s borderline-manic yelps throughout the EP‰’s five songs. “Fresh Pond‰” initially sounds like the band is finally exhausted from all their rocking out and psychological stressing, but again finds its pace, staring out the window and only seeing the windowpane and their own shame.

Steve Hears Pile in Malden and Bursts Into Tears is noisy, pretty, frantic, catchy, funny, and tragic. It captures a wonderful band as they evolve musically and lyrically, but continue to stare at the mirror. And there‰’s not a stinker on it.

Recommended Tracks: 1, 3, 5
RIYL: All the great Boston rock bands from Pixies to Pile, Exploding in Sound, laughing and crying simultaneously