Despite the poetic sound of the term itself, sundowning -- the concept of people with Alzheimer's and dementia losing their lucidity as day turns to night -- is terrifying. Canadian neo-punkers
Nue Sensae were so struck by this duality that
Sundowning became the title of their second album. The term also works to describe a mood change that arose within the band: since their formation in 2008 and through 2011,
Nue Sensae not only played as a duo, but singer/bassist
Andrea Lukic and
Daniel Pitout seemed almost rigidly against expanding their lineup -- but over those few years, they felt they reached their potential as a two-piece and, seeking a new challenge, tapped
Brody McKnight to join the ranks as guitarist. With
Sundowning,
Nue Sensae succeed on all fronts, as they continue to deliver
Lukic's furious roar and
Pitout's percussive assault as well as move forward with an expanded musical palette thanks to the addition of
McKnight. Coming from the menacing noise rock band
Mutators, he augments
Nue Sensae's
SST meets
Sub Pop aesthetic with corrosive, cacophonous shredding that brings their grunge underpinnings closer to the surface, which is further elevated thanks to production by
Josh Stevenson (
Jackie-O Motherfucker) and mastering by
SST/
Sub Pop/
Kill Rock Stars regular
John Golden. Over
Sundowning's 14 tracks, there are razor-sharp riff-offs between
Lukic and
McKnight ("Spit Gifting"), chord crunching with the intensity of a steamroller ("Burnt Masks"), jackhammer jam sessions ("Swim"), plus surprising turns to murky dirge ("Tea Swamp Park") and spooky minimalism ("Say What You Are"). It's part punk, part grunge, part riot grrrl, all slamming together in the mosh pit and exploding into a fist-pumping fury you won't soon want to forget. ~ Chrysta Cherrie
