Tabs Out | Q///Q - Serene Answer

Q///Q - Serene Answer

3.19.18 by Ryan Masteller

Look at my hand. It’s steady, unmoving, no shake to it, no tremor. There’s a calmness within me, not to mention a hereditary predisposition to stillness, that allows me an uncanny amount of control over my bodily functions, minimizing involuntary action. As such, I can do a lot of things most other people can’t: build tiny and intricate model ships in bottles, hit bullseye after bullseye at the archery range, portray human statues at outdoor events, win Jenga championships. I’m often complimented on this ability.

Nah, I’m only kidding. You should’ve seen me a half hour ago before I had my first cup of coffee. I was a quivering mess.

Q///Q, though, doesn’t need coffee, doesn’t need anything really to hit that Zen zone. Peter Kris (German Army, Germ Class, Final Cop) and Quinn Brayton (New Collapse, Centimeters) are steely eyed gunslingers marching up the dusty main thoroughfare of a frontier town, and no one has the cojones to approach them. No one needs to be afraid either, because instead of guns (and yes, I listen to NOISE), these lawmen are toting synthesizers and drum machines. I guess most people simply become awestruck when faced with unflinching purpose.

As might be expected of a German Army offshoot, Q///Q traffics in sparse, woozy dub and slow-mo industrial clash. “Serene Answer” seems like it’s happening under water, or under Jell-O, and it’s OK that this dank glob of eerie ooze has engulfed you. You just have to relax and let the translucent jams happen. It feels pretty good, actually – maybe not cuddly or cozy, but certainly amniotic. Maybe that’s why everything’s so calm and even right now – we’re all in some jellified stasis.

According to the Baked Tapes Bandcamp, “Serene Answer comes in an “edition of 60 azure c32s in clear Norelcos with full color art.” Yeah, I believe that.