Cover photo by Mike Manewitz.
When the seemingly ever-shifting artistic path of Street Sects began, back in 2014, before they released a full-length album or joined the ranks of The Flenser, there was a plan for a quintet of releases, namely, five 7” records that, together, would amount to «Gentrification: A Serial Album». The first two instalments were then released in independent fashion to very positive reactions, that led to a full-length record, «End Position», via The Flenser and, as the press release to the upcoming 7” puts it, “one release led to another, and the final three instalments of the Gentrification series were put on hold, indefinitely.” Good news, then, the series is on hold no longer and its third chapter, «Gentrification III: Death and Displacement» will be released later this summer. Its first track, «Goodbye Recidivist Road», can be heard below. Do not expect a straight-up return to the strictly harsh sounds of the first two entries of the series, as “the bands’ style has always been in flux, and their approach to songwriting and production has evolved significantly in the past half-decade.”
Alongside its first track, the band has released the following statement about the way in which they approach the series:
The themes and stories addressed within the Gentrification series were never intended to be strict socioeconomic commentary, but rather the conversation and consequences surrounding Gentrification were meant to be a fractured and brutal lens through which we are given a voyeuristic look into the emotional perspectives of characters whose lives are maligned by alienation, exile, and economic peril. If crime is primarily a symptom of the underclass, then perhaps our prisons are filled with some of our most valuable living lessons. These castaways, offenders and recidivists are a glaring example of the consequences of a systematic ideological violence inflicted by the haves upon the have-nots. The Gentrification series is not an indictment or an apology, it is an empathetic gritting of the teeth, clenching of the fist, and pulling of the trigger.
On that note, we’d suggest reading not only the track’s lyrics but the liner notes from each of the three releases, which you can find at the band’s bandcamp.
«Gentrification III: Death and Displacement» is set for release on August 2 through The Flenser on 7” vinyl and digital formats. Pre-orders are available at this location. Note that this is one of the releases included in the label’s membership series, which we discussed here.
Below, further recall «Gentriffication I: The Morning After the Night We Raped Death» and «Gentrification II: Broken Windows, Sunken Ceilings».
Nether 