Station On The Hill is a rollercoaster of a debut album from Vancouver band Computer, if a rollercoaster could start in freefall. Saying it was a bold statement would minimize the experience of being thrust into a seemingly agonizing world that can only be expressed through melody. Beginning as a project between friends Hudson Schelesny and Ben Lock, Computer has expanded into a 7 piece collective, which their label states is “for fans of Black Country New Road.” I agree with that statement entirely, however I also found myself reminded of modern punk stars Idles, Surf Curse, and Japanese punk / shoegaze band Supercar.

A high energy and aggressive start to Station On The Hill in ‘Now In A Vacuum’ and ‘Concrete Vehicles’ evolves into a more thoughtful and morose listening experience on ‘I’ll Follow,’ allowing the listener space to absorb the more desolate and desperate tone of the album. Synths that have been lingering mostly in the in the background come to the foreground of the instrumental in ‘The Picture’ bringing the pace of the album up for a groovier and more brass heavy ‘Weird New Vocation,’ which was an absolute standout for me in the album. Wordplay incorporated into the structure of the vocals makes for a little bit of a laugh in the line “I want to beat my ex – pectations” subverting the tone of the album with a bitter hopefulness for self improvement.

‘Dissolution Use’ seems to address how one might let go of what they contain or have with a beautifully intertwined brass and guitar instrumental that more closely resembles BCNR, and reminded me quite a bit of Fontaines D.C. The next track, ‘The Bells’ is a melancholy guitar loop over electronically distorted and garbled speech, which acts as an interlude to the penultimate title track of the album, ‘Station On The Hill.’ The final song’s instrumental seems to emulate the slight hopefulness of ‘Weird New Vocation’ as the guitar and brass swell higher and higher to match the pace of the drums before dropping off into a void of musical nothingness around the halfway point; The instrumental then creeps its way back in before exploding once more upon the listener as an act of emotional release, missing that hopeful tone entirely before the notes once again become more joyful upon recounting the last time “I saw your face was on that day – when you so graciously disappeared – on the hill.”

This album is a frighteningly strong debut that seemingly melds inspirations from a wide range of rock genres into a concise conveyance of what seems to be a shared sentiment among Gen-Z that a happy world full of love is slowly slipping away.

Order Station On The Hill by Computer HERE