Listen: Agent Fresco Destrier Destroys, Despairs

Our unending search for awesome #hardrock often takes us to dark places. Often it’s the bad kind of “dark place,” the ones inhabited by sadly macho dorks and daffily earnest elites. But let it never be said that we haven’t been steered to good dark places by a less-than-extreme act. For today we check out Agent Fresco and their dark, awesome new album Destrier.

If Coldplay is what your non-metal girlfriend wishes Radiohead sounded like, and listening to the Deftones is her idea of compromise for Tool and Meshuggah, then Agent Fresco represents her “heavy art rock” hopes for Leprous, Opeth, and Protest The Hero: not as metal, way more singing, even more drama, a touch of djent, and misty late-era Thrice melodies. Now, Agent Fresco’s airy jams wouldn’t lock into a rotation with today’s Active Rock spray-it-don’t-say-it types, yet the breathlessness of Destrier is pure 2015 radio, so their aim might be on an ambitious crossover to mainstream girlfriends. It’s beautiful. Stick with it at least through the title track.

Agent Fresco’s second album Destrier came out a couple Fridays ago via Long Branch and SPV. Get it here.