When a band re-appears after a long time away, it often leads to fan apprehension. The return of a favourite act can be exciting, but what if the new material isn’t up to scratch? What if it’s really different from the old stuff? What if, as a listener, it’s your ears that have moved on, and you now crave different thrills? None of these concerns apply to the return of New York’s art rock band Ecce Shnak. The five years since their ‘Metaphorphejawns’ album assaulted an unsuspecting audience hasn’t diluted their desire to bend sounds into almost impenetrable shapes and, at its best, their ‘Shadows Grow Fangs’ (released in February 2025) presents material that’s as unclassifiable and inventive as ever.

This is immediately obvious with regard to the lead single ‘Jeremy, Utilitarian Sadboy’, which is about as musically diverse as its less than catchy title suggests. The track opens with a blast of metallic guitar work, delivered in an angular way that suggests a love of Cardiacs and a couple of underground post-rock bands. The pointed riff is joined by an equally sharp vocal that sounds like it would be more at home on a hardcore track. These elements are drawn together via a fuzzed up garage rock bassline that evokes the anger of the UK’s own Get The Fuck Outta Dodge, and despite sounding really confrontational, it’s actually the track’s pivotal element, providing something of a necessary musical root. Adding to the very structured chaos, you’ll find some neo-operatic vocals that sound like they’ve wandered in from an early Queen recording session, a few pointed piano notes, some chamber pop orchestration and, eventually, a soaring vocal melody that sounds like a mangled take on an old MGM musical. You’d think that a short track with such a complex approach to arrangement would feel cluttered, but this recording is as tight as hell. It’s also a brilliantly non-commercial offering, guaranteed to make fans of avant garde rock and pop sit up and take note. This is decidedly Mr. Bungle-esque in the most impressive way.,.and certainly gives ‘…Fangs’ a centrepiece that really stands out.

By comparison, ‘Prayer On Love’ feels somewhat restrained, but a closer ear will reveal a track that’s still very interesting. The rhythm doesn’t appear to conform to a standard tempo. The beats bounce around, almost like they’ve been subjected to a remix, even though this is a standard recording. The bass follows suit, adding dark layers of sound, leaving a hard edged guitar to remind everyone that this is the work of the same band. Against something that shares a post-punk heart, a dual male/female vocal settles for something much smoother, working almost a goth-pop tone, but always aiming to draw the ear in such a way that makes Ecce’s weird world a little more accessible. Although still a little odd, the melody here feels like it’s being leaned into, whereas ‘Jeremy’ fought against. Eventually, a slow, brooding sound – somewhere between Tindersticks, Peter Alexander Jobson, Wire, and Gene – unveils a modern sounding art rock treat. The vocals here are especially cool, but in time, each of this track’s very different elements will share their quirky charms. In many ways, its role as this EP’s opening number is vital, since it gives the unsuspecting listener time to acclimatise before Ecce Shnak pull out the big guns, arrangement wise.

The title cut drops the listener into a world of frenetic sound where the end result doesn’t conform to a pop, rock, or even jazz ideal. The clattering rhythm, which hits in an instant, barely lets up throughout the four minutes. It disappears only long enough to allow for a strange vocal interlude; it otherwise rattles in a busy drum and bass manner, never fitting with any of the track’s other elements. Above the rhythmic noise, a male/female dual vocal works a slower melody sharing a tune that sounds like it were modelled upon a stage musical; guitar parts shift between echoing, arty sounds and sheets of metallic, almost industrial noise, and a pointed bass holds everything together against the odds. Imagine something by David Byrne mangled by The Residents and remixed by Soul Coughing and you might get half an idea of how this sounds, but it’s safe to say, it’s rather challenging. It’s possibly brilliant too, but approached in the wrong mood, it could frighten as much as entertain.

Almost as if to counterbalance that, ‘Stroll With Me’ offers a stripped down folk melody where mournful vocals glide over sparsely played acoustic guitar. Tracks like ‘Shadows Grow Fangs’ and ‘Jeremy’ almost render this as seeming like a weird, unfinished idea, but there’s a real purity to the short number that appears to capture the sly qualities of The Magnetic Fields, which should appeal to the keener indie fan, whilst ‘The Internet’ explores a musical world that’s different again. It’s a place where indie jangle meets post punk spikiness, but a world of synths and almost angrily spat vocals draw more from a truly alternative place. As with ‘Jeremy’, it’ll take a few plays before its best features become obvious, but even from first listen, the arty vocals and busy melodies share a love for Sparks that’ll raise a smile, and – again – a Mike Patton-esque keenness to rally against the musical norm shows Ecce Shnak to be leagues ahead of any competition.

‘Shadows Grow Fangs’ is cool. It’s also a bit frightening, bordering on inaccessible, and pleasingly strange. You’d think something so offbeat could be accused of trying too hard to be different, but the use of harmonies and atmospheres through the EP’s best moments suggests that Ecce Shnak’s inherent weirdness comes surprisingly naturally to these musicians. When ‘Prayer On Love’ was released as a second single/preview in December ’24, it felt as if ‘Jeremy…’ was in danger of being this EP’s best and most off-kilter number, but this EP really doesn’t disappoint on that score. It certainly isn’t something you’re likely to reach for in terms of everyday listening, but in terms of genuinely “alternative” sounds, this offers plenty of genuine thrills.

February 2025