screamcloud fights the anxiety of city life with raw riffs in The Slums of Your Mind EP

Local four-piece screamcloud dabbles in heavy guitars and tense tempos for a style it sums up as “anxiety rock.” The band, which connected in the New York City music scene before moving to Philadelphia in 2017, just released its second EP, The Slums of Your Mind, and it plays Ortlieb’s next Wednesday, February 26th, for the final night of Cherry-Veen Zine’s February residency.

Fronted by Emily Daly on baritone guitar and vocals, and Danielle Lovier on bass and vocals, with Joshua Curry on second guitar and Charlie McQuiggan on drums, the band channels the heavy angular rock of Helium and Sleater-Kinney, with poppier moments reminiscent of The Muffs and L7. Lyrically and thematically, they fixate on life in a densely populated city, and the restlessness and unease that comes with that; the very catchy rocker “275” is named after the price of a New York City subway fare and looks at how, even though it’s not a lot of money, it still leaves you feeling stuck in place. “Let It In” is a look at the apprehensions that hang around seemingly every corner, in city life specifically, but also in life in general. The band even uses its cover art as a visual representation of the theme; the four pictures of feral cats were taken by Daly in the alley behind her pre-Philly apartment.

The EP released last month, and you can listen to it below, and grab a download over at Bandcamp. For more on screamcloud’s Ortlieb’s show with Hauntress, head to the XPN Concert Calendar.