“Get To It/Regenerate” by Quicksand Single Review
Written by Liam M. Hennessey
Post-hardcore supergroup Quicksand has been a standard bearer for post-hardcore since their iconic release Slip in 1993. Quicksand laid out a blueprint for heavy music that embraces melody on that record, balancing slick production with raw energy. They return with that same energy and a new set of singles, promoting a new LP coming out in June. Punk music is defined by its fluid, ever-changing nature - so how does a band that released their debut in the dial-up era fare in a Wi-Fi world? As someone who regularly bumps Slip to this day, I had to know how their sound holds up all these years later.
Punk music embraces above all else the values of straightforwardness and authenticity, both of which shine on these singles. Get To It is about stopping procrastinating and just finishing what needs to be done. Regenerate is the more abstract of the two tracks but is still very plainly put about rebirth through change. Such simplistic descriptions might imply these songs don’t have much to offer to the listener. To the contrary, these tracks are ripe with catharsis through clarity.
The pace on Get To It/Regenerate is blistering. The riffs on Regenerate shred like something off a trash metal track, and flirts with crossover thrash specifically. It sounds punchy and fast without taking away from the weight of each chuggy refrain. The instrumentals are woven together on both these tracks, enveloping the listener in galloping walls of sound. Get To It’s theme of snide annoyance with complacency and idleness shows off in every aspect of the song. Quicksand begs the listener to get on with their lives, emphatically telling them that “time is running out!” through belted vocals. Walter Schreifels, lead vocalist of Quicksand, is known for a higher-pitched vocal delivery that seamlessly blends cleans and yells. Comparing his vocals on these tracks with any of the tracks off Slip, it's impressive how little his vocals have degraded over the years. It seems the only thing that has changed since then is that Schreifels has access to a nicer quality microphone.
So how does a punk group from the early 90s stay fresh in the 2020s and adapt to the times? Counterintuitively, by not changing their ethos at all. Quicksand does exactly what is expected of them on this without it sounding stale or out of step; Delivering singles brimming with enough energy to light up a city. If these tracks are indicative of what to expect from Bring On The Psychics, listeners should be delighted to hear that Quicksand maintains their signature sound here, just with up-to-date production. Between this upcoming album and Basement’s new LP, it’s looking like the sound of summer for punk this year isn’t the cliched answer of pop punk, but its more dynamic counterpart, Hardcore/posthardcore.
