Formed from the remnants of the disbanded emo/math rock hybrid Grown Ups, Cloakroom is a devastatingly underrated band despite being a part of the widely adored Run For Cover roster.
The trio of factory workers hailing from Indiana apply their daily practice of heavy machinery operation into the art they create. The band’s debut full length Further Out is an album that manages to both bathe in the trending emo revival and become a gateway drug for stoner rock and sludge metal.
Lead vocalist/guitarist Doyle Martin’s reverb-drowned vocals sound as if they were recorded in a damp cave and his unique guitarwork dabbles in psychedelic rock, blues, and reverts back to pounding sludge riffs that will leave you head-banging in slow-motion. Bobby Marko serves as the backbone of the group with his groovy loud basslines, and Brian Busch thunderously pounds the drum kit with all of his might.
The shining aspect of the record is its overall structure. The first half consists of the loudest and heaviest tracks while the second half zeroes in on the more clean aspects of the band’s sound.
The placement of the album’s single “Starchild Skull” serves as one of the highlight moments of Further Out because it prevents any chance of the LP losing your attention. As the album begins to approach its halfway point, the songs begin to wind down, but “Starchild Skull” picks things back up again with its catchy hooks.
The juxtaposition of the third track “Moon Funeral” and the third-to-last track “Clean Moon” should also be taken note of. “Moon Funeral” is the most crushing song found on the record while “Clean Moon” is the same song revisited but rewritten as the LP’s softest track replacing with hard-hitting sludgey riffs with clean-distortion free guitars.
Further Out strongly concludes with the epic “Deep Sea Station” which takes every aspect of the album’s sound and meshes into one complete song. Cloakroom’s debut is perfect for anyone looking for a well-structured album to get lost in.