Drummer William Goldsmith first came to prominence as a member of emo pioneers Sunny Day Real Estate.  He later reached a much larger fan base as the drummer of Foo Fighters, before stepping away from the spotlight.

It’s been a very long time since the world at large heard from Goldsmith, but he’s now back with a new band, Assertion, which also features vocalist/guitarist Justin Tamminga (Blind Guides) and Bryan Gorder, also a member of Slorder with Descendents‘ Stephen Egerton.

Assertion’s debut album ‘Intermission’ is released on April 9th, but you can stream an advance track below.  As the first taste of this new band, ‘Supervised Suffering’ is very promising indeed. The quieter lead into the number really evokes some of the emo sounds of the 90s, but rather more draws a parallel with classic era Smashing Pumpkins circa ‘Siamese Dream’.  As a relatively lengthy workout, its biggest riffs take a while to kick in, but when they do, the explosion of sound is akin to being transported back to the glory days of Sunny Day Real Estate and Bivouac.  Although much bigger on riffs than obvious hooks, the track also features a great vocal and after two or three plays, starts to feel like the ultimate throwback to 90s emo…but always in the very best way.

Take a listen below.