Motionsick – The Inner Side LP (Rasselbande Records)

Wow! It has been a while since I heard an outstanding post-hardcore record like this one. As soon I placed a needle on the vinyl, it blew me away with all its power. At first, I was surprised how this band slipped under my radar band before, but then I soon realized The Inner Side is their debut full-length release. Motionsick is an Austrian post-hardcore group with many things to offer to everyone who delves deep into this material. They made a wise move by presenting nearly the entire material through seven singles decorated with eye-peeling artwork. It’s such a clever idea that ultimately works in this digital era, where streaming platforms entirely dominate the music industry. But before I dive deep into the sound of the band, let me talk about the packaging first. You’ll love the visual aesthetics of The Inner Side. This record comes with a beautiful, flawlessly illustrated, floral, psychedelic cover artwork. It irresistibly resembles something the nineties grunge and alternative groups would put on their record sleeves. The front cover also carries a colossal character that takes at least half of an illustration, while the other side holds a papyrus with the tracklist and all the necessary info about the record label. The inner side carries the same visual aesthetics, while the black record sleeve protects hefty white marbled vinyl. The band paid a lot of attention to the design, and The Inner Side will unquestionably spark your interest once you stumble upon it in the record store.

Perhaps Motionsick burst with some of the finest properties of a post-hardcore and even sounds better than some renowned names in the game, but that’s not the only genre you’ll stumble upon while listening to their music. These folks handle several complementary music genres with such ease. They even managed to lift them up to an entirely new level. You’ll notice some of the finest properties of grunge, post-grunge, alternative, progressive rock, post-rock, art rock, and ambient lurking around in the mix. Still, don’t be surprised if you stumble upon other music genres since these guys are incredible songwriters. You won’t find any flaws on these fourteen compositions, because each one sounds divine from scratch to finish. Bands with the capability to write, compose, record and produce such a powerful post-hardcore album with so many good moments on every track are a rarity nowadays. You’ll be blown away by the sheer amount of leads, themes, melodies, harmonies, ear-appealing chord progressions, and heavy riffs invested into this material. Both guitar channels shine bright with so many dualities that you’ll need a couple of listenings to embrace them all. The rhythm section is equally good. There’s no way you’ll miss all those massive low-end tones delivered by a vividly hearable bass guitar or complex rhythmic sequences built upon detailed beats, many accentuations, various enhancements, fills, and other empowering decorations that define only the best post-hardcore albums. The lead vocal harmonies come as an additional layer of melodies that further improve the listening experience. It’s also jaw-dropping how the vocalist handles both clean singing parts and aggressive screams/shouts. As I said before, Motionsick is the band you surely don’t want to miss if you’re into post-hardcore music. The vinyl is available via a band or Rasselbande Records.