The much anticipated sophomore album from post-hardcore/punk firebrands Midnight Peg is a vivid and dynamic collection of songs that hurt and humanize. Released on October 3 via Thousand Island Records, Midnight Peg’s Skinning is a swirling and scathing manifesto to survivors of continued abuse and its perpetrators.
Based in amiskwacîwâskahikan (Edmonton, AB), Midnight Peg have become a vital force in the modern underground. On Skinning, the band have expanded and honed their already well-deserved status as one of the most exciting acts active today with their latest album. Combining raw emotion, deep-seeded trauma and a wild range of genres, Skinning is a vivid and honest journey from start to finish. Incorporating the best elements of hardcore (‘Thirstland’), grunge (‘The Hag’), post-punk (‘Politicaster’), and more (‘Spilotes pullatus’) Skinning is as addictive as it is intense.
“Skinning is the apotheosis of our songwriting style; it takes frenzied, but refined risks across the board… Melodic themes recur and reference each other, so as a whole, the album resolves its own chaos.” – Eric Neilson (Guitarist/Composer/Vox)
The lyrics and vocal performance of Raquel “Rocky” Mann are a standout. Mann delivers each line with virtuosity and vitriol that cannot be ignored. With every listen, a new lyric sticks out and demands a re-listen. The instrumentation is powerful, tactical, and purposeful. The polyrhythms and tone shifts tell their own story, and remain fluid despite the heaviness.
“We really wanted to push what we were doing in the first album. It feels like an exciting time right now in heavy music, and bands are popping out all the time here; the diversity is exciting. Skinning grew out of that experimental, cross-genre moment where it all feels a bit unstable but totally alive. It’s a mash of pit-banging hardcore noise and aggression, sly melodic hooks, and ephemeral scuzz… But at the heart of each track is a quiet, guttural despair at the ubiquity of violence and how we survive it.”— Rocky Mann (Vocals, Lyricist)
Skinning was recorded by Rob Lawless and Cody Blakely, mixed and co-produced by Blakely at Half Stack Studios, and mastered by Stuart McKillop (Rain City Recorders).
Photo by Cecil Sykes @beholdersrepository
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Stream or Download Skinning
Thousand Island Records
Bio:
Commanding the stage with explosive intensity, Midnight Peg’s take on punk demands attention. Featuring veterans of Edmonton’s music scene, this powerhouse is as well-versed in post-hardcore as they are in avant-garde post-punk and deliver a passion for their craft that is contagious.
Midnight Peg are:
Raquel “Rocky” Mann – Vocals, Lyrics
Eric Neilson – Guitar, Vocals
Jasmin Molnar – Guitar
Brian Lin – Bass
Jeffrey Sterling Brannen – Drums
Artwork by Virgil Crude
Design by Raquel Mann
