Traps, PS – Real Corner Shock

Real Corner Shock is the long-awaited debut LP from Los Angeles trio TRAPS, PS. Released by Papermade Music, the LP is fourteen tracks long of abrasive and twisted punk rock – like 34 minutes of trying to fit a square peg into a round hole.

Guitars are stringy and jarring but melodic, woven through these striped-down anthems like a metal thread that will cut you on any angle. Bass lines simmer and rumble under the harsh twang, providing a thick and groovy rhythm as punchy percussion does the rest of the gut-busting. “Hectic” is but one way to describe these angular outbursts of purely original, funk-fueled post-punk. Fourteen tracks average out to about 2 minutes apiece, crammed with loads of blunt edges and angles that has the entire album staggering and tripping over itself in the best way possible.

“New City” twists and bends with scratchy guitars and a rolling drum beat. Bass bellows underneath one note at a time, supporting the mess as minimally yet as effectively as possible in a minute and a half. “Neat Humor” opens with a wrinkled guitar beam that gets cut short by a jarring hook, concocting up an edgy and evil sound that sweeps through like a whirlwind, disorienting and wobbly. Slinky bass opens “Icon Accent,” complemented by bright, sliding guitar twangs that unfold like tiny daggers driving into your flesh. “Early Man” blows wide open at the seams, boasting spiny lead guitars and high-strung melodics that will have you seeing stars – the track is summed up in 50 seconds flat.

“Quiet Now” comes with sludge-coated bass lines and choppy guitars that are competing for the spotlight. The track stomps along with pummeling percussion and the steady bass, crunching and twitching through all the little nooks and crannies of the angular affair. They close the LP with “Horses” and save their most open-ended statement for last. Guitars and bass come warbled in an envelope of heat while tom-toms are rolling and creating that endlessly frantic element. Vocals soar high above the action as guitars scrape and drums pound deep below. They’re hitting hard with their wall of wiry sound before suddenly stopping on the dime before you even had a chance to absorb what just happened.

That said, multiple spins makes this a more rewarding record each time around, just as long as you don’t slip off into the deep end. Get started by listening below – the LP drops via Papermade Music on June 30th, with all 14 tracks crammed onto one side of a 12″ record.

“Neat Humor” –

“Horses” –

Genre/ Tags: Post-Punk, Noise Rock, Punk, Funk
Real Corner Shock LP: Tracklist:
1.) Hiss Involvement
2.) New City
3.) Neat Humor
4.) Absolute
5.) Striking Resemblance
6.) Iron Accent
7.) Early Man
8.) Patience
9.) Quiet Now
10.) Swim Coats
11.) Press Gangs
12.) Warmer
13.) HQ
14.) Horses