Heavy Song of the Week is a new feature on Heavy Consequence breaking down the top metal and hard rock tracks you need to hear every Friday. This week the accolade goes to “Härvest” by Philly post-punk band Poison Ruïn.
With a freshly inked deal with Relapse Records, Philadelphia’s Poison Ruïn are poised to be the breakout punk band of 2023 — just like their fellow Philadelphians Soul Glo were last year.
Unlike Soul Glo, Poison Ruïn veer more toward minimal post-punk rather than riff-hitting hardcore, looking toward the past as a reflection of the present. “Härvest,” the lead single from their forthcoming album of the same name, approaches these anachronisms in a couple ways. Firstly, the sound of the song is decidedly vintage and lo-fi, capturing that golden tape-y aura that’s easy on the ears. It worked for Ariel Pink, Molechat Doma, and Unknown Mortal Orchestra, and it works for Poison Ruïn as well.
Secondly, the group politicize medieval and fantasy imagery as symbolic commentary on humanity’s current plights. Peasantry, plagues… are these not familiar to modern society? It’s a concept rarely explored so poignantly, somehow conjuring an otherworldly mystique that’s firmly rooted in our own, very real tribulations.
— Jon Hadusek,
Senior Staff Writer