Exclusive Full Album Stream: Something Is Waiting’s Songs for the Sally Beauty Pavilion

Odd though it sounds now, back in the day, Headbanger’s Ball and Hit Parader covered bands like Slayer, Slaughter, and Sick of It All side by side, and us kids didn’t think that was at all weird. If it had obnoxious guitars and thunderous drums and our parents hated it, we were opening to giving it a try. And as a result, we grew up with a fairly diverse palate of loud music, and at the turn of the century, as we reached adulthood, there was an influx of bands that attempted to meld arena rock with other forms of extreme music. Some of them pulled it off. A lot of them fell flat on their faces.

Falling squarely into the “pulling it off” category is Something Is Waiting, whose sophomore album, Songs for the Sally Beauty Pavilion, comes out tomorrow on Learning Curve Records. The band’s secret, we believe, is that rather than try and marry glam with thrash or death metal, they’ve utilized noise and alt rock as their not-so-secret second ingredient. The band’s music has been described as being “like Unsane covering Too Fast for Love, or Axl Rose fronting The Jesus Lizard,” which is wholly accurate. It might sound like an unnatural fit, but it works perfectly: cock rock and noise rock obviously come at it from different places, but both genres reveal in filth and grime. Despite what its title may suggest, Songs for the Sally Beauty Pavilion is similarly squalid; it will get caked beneath your fingernails. And you will be goddamn delighted to have it there.

But don’t just take our word for it — stream Songs for the Sally Beauty Pavilion in its entirety below! Then go pre-order it here (physical) or here (digital) in advance of tomorrow’s release. Chicago area readers should also be aware that the band has a record release listening party TONIGHT at Kuma’s Corner at 7 pm CDT. They’ll also play a record release show with Lowdose (ex-Fight Amp) and Thieves on April 8 at The Empty Bottle. Both events should be a blast!!!