Combining a stoner rock swagger and a post hardcore crunch, ‘Glass House’ by Abrams isn’t particularly shy when it comes to sharing a huge riff. Throughout the track, the band attack with a real intent, and although there are moments where a superb drum sound feels like the dominant force, a really crunchy Helmet influenced guitar sound brings a huge amount of weight to an impressive, heavy melody. The bulk of this performance delights in sharing a great groove, but even when Abrams slow things enough to drop into a classic hardcore breakdown, or unexpectedly break into a thrashy riff to finish, the tones and attitude shared are absolutely first rate.
It’s the perfect statement with which to kick off their 2026 long player ‘Loon’, but the nine tracks that follow come with a similarly forceful intent, creating a recording that really shows off some great musicians at work. An early highlight of the album ‘White Walls’ works around a busy guitar riff that lays down a circular melody in a high tone, which beavers away under grinding basslines that pull more of an influence from classic 90s hardcore. Between these two huge features, the performance sounds like a force of nature, even before instrumental bridges and melodic hardcore passages which contrast cleaner vocals with pneumatic drumming put in an eventual appearance. By the time everyone can be heard settling into a descending riff that sounds like a heavier Cave In at the end of the number, this is peak Abrams.
In a slightly different mould, ‘A State of Mind’ works a droning guitar riff against a steady beat supplied by live sounding drums to create something that sounds like a post-hardcore take on an old grunge number, giving Graham Zander’s guitar and Taylor Iversen’s throbbing basslines plenty of room within a mid tempo arrangement. Aside from a few siren-like lead guitars creeping in, this really doesn’t capture the same kind of excitement as ‘White Walls’, but it still shows off Abrams as being a musical force through use of volume, while an accessible vocal does some reasonably heavy lifting to keep everything moving. Although this is arguably one of ‘Loon’s lesser tracks, it has the presence of something that’ll work in the live stakes, since the droning riff has all the subtlety of a truck. Luckily, someone in the Abrams camp understands the importance of sequencing, and that track is swiftly followed by the brilliantly buoyant ‘Home’ which takes a muted guitar riff and opens a really busy track with a riff that sounds like something from ‘Building’ era Sense Field before branching out into a heavy groove that sounds like a denser Quicksand. The heavier edges are brilliantly contrasted by a soaring vocal which also makes great use of a relatively simple hook. Despite having a very 90s vibe, nothing feels stale: Ryan DeWitt’s drumming really punches through, and the combo of Zachary Amster and Graham Zander’s dual guitar continues to give the band a forceful edge that captures the finest post hardcore sound.
Elsewhere, ‘Waves’ opens with another Cave In-esque riff bolstered by smashed snare drums and an absolutely menacing bass chug, which moves forward to provide a perfect compliment to a rather assured vocal that makes the best of a slightly simplistic chorus hook. That would be more than enough to sustain these three minutes – if there’s something else that works in this album’s favour its the band’s sense of economy; there’s no point in dragging anything out – but by shifting from a pounding rhythm to slightly sludge inflected sound, things get a little more interesting. Hearing the guitars drop into a swampy mid tempo riff that seems destined to attract the ears of both a post-metal and stoner crowd never gets old, and the heavier moments shared here are definitely among ‘Loon’s most intense. Those who love the “crashy” sounding Abrams should make a beeline for ‘Remains’, a number that in places sounds like peak post-hardcore fused with bits of Fugazi, and in others, drops some intensive pneumatic drums to bring a perfect thrash/hardcore blend. In many ways, the major riffing here is more important than the song in hand, but once the middle of the track focuses on a battle of wills between insanely loud drums and a razor edged guitar, it’s almost impossible not to be swept along with the excitement that’s been captured on tape. The more melodic ‘Sirens’, meanwhile, allows Taylor to work a more groove-laden bass riff, and the warmth from that gives this track a huge sense of heart. Not that a more melodic approach draws too much from Abrams’ edge, since a shrill guitar tone dropping beneath a sledgehammer of a riff during the chorus captures the band’s intensity with ease, and an extended guitar solo sharing a perfect post-rock tone contrasts any more commercial edges very effectively.
By mixing a world of post hardcore crunchiness with some old school rock chops and a touch of stoner infused groove, ‘Loon’ is a record that stands a good chance of appealing to a cross-section of listeners who enjoy a steady diet of heavyweight sounds. The bulk of ‘Loon’ is an easy match for 2024’s ‘Blue City’ when it comes to all round quality, and a couple of tracks even eclipse that in a way that suggests this band are still moving forward. In terms of sharing a complex yet accessible, thoughtful heaviness, this is a very smart record indeed. A recommended listen.
March 2026