Monday 8/2: Knot—"The World"
Today, we share our thoughts on a new single by the new Boston band Knot.
Welcome to Endless Scroll, the brainchild of Eli Enis (he/him) and Eric Bennett (they/them). Since Feb. 2019, we’ve been a weekly podcast about music, the internet, and where those two things intersect. Now we’re, also a M-F newsletter about songs. Our format is simple: a link to a song and a short take from each of us about what we think of it. Each day of the week has a corresponding genre: Monday is indie, Tuesday is punk, Wednesday is hip-hop, Thursday is pop, and Friday is misc.
Today, we share our thoughts on a new single by the Boston band Knot.
Knot—"The World"
Eric Bennett:
When Krill broke up in 2015, it felt to me like a new love got cut short. It had only been a year since I discovered Steve Hears Pile in Malden and Bursts into Tears, and I was immediately drawn to Jonah Furman's whiny yet loveable voice and their chaotic, winding arrangements. A Distant Fist Unclenching cemented them as one of my favorite bands of the moment. Time passed, and outside a few streams of “Torturer,” I hadn’t thought much about them until this past month when it was announced they had reformed under the name Knot.
Their newest single “The World” brings me right back to why I loved Krill. It twists and turns, full of sharp, angular guitar work. I love the abrupt cut from calm, looping guitar to hectic, whirling loops that happens right at the beginning. I love how they never land on a tempo for this song, going through what feel like several movements. Furman sounds wiser, less acerbic, but just as bright as always. I always worry about bands I’ve loved breaking up and then failing to reignite the magic when they reform, but Knot shows time away has only helped. Krill Forever.
Eli Enis:
I just never got the appeal of Krill. I’ve given each of their records a fair shake and I even came back to them when Knot was announced a little bit ago, but for whatever reason I just don’t see the charm in them that so many others do. I can almost appreciate the, erm, knotty guitarwork of this new single “The World” and the words “Krill forever” do admittedly pop into my head every now and then. I just think that Furman’s voice is kind of irritating and I find this sort of almost-mathy, noodly riffage to be grating after half-a-song—especially when the voice is actively making me wince. Not trying to hate, I love dozens of bands with blatantly ear-aching qualities. But when I listen to Krill or Knot I find that I’d rather just be listening to Pile or another Boston band with a weirdass singer like Kal Marks.