Keep
Almost Static
SELF-RELEASED
Never has a band that’s not Mercury Rev sounded more like Mercury Rev than Keep. And with nefarious AI running rampant these days, there’s a sliver of a chance that the artists are one and the same. But, conspiracy theories aside, here’s Keep in a nutshell: Their generic band name must be a curse for PR and promotional campaigns for their new LP Almost Static, yet their enthralling music breathes new life into alt-rock, oh-so-refreshingly. In fact, Keep’s tweaking of the genre hits the mark throughout the entire record, so much so that it’s hard to exit your parked car until the song you’re listening to winds down to completion.
It’s not just this critic who’s impressed with Keep adroitly and adeptly modifying the sounds of shoegaze, post-punk, and other rock subgenres using guitar as a shimmering tool as copiously as their noise-rock cousins employ distorted guitar to unleash their anguish. To make their shared purpose as artists with the deeply affecting Almost Static, the band issued a statement about the record that pretty much says it all: “We’re inching toward death every day, so just enjoy looking at the mountains or the lake or whatever it is. You can feel sorry for yourself later.”
Keep didn’t magically discover their hypnotic and ensconcing sound; spawned a dozen years ago in Richmond, Virginia, they’ve toiled away at creating a style all their own for over a decade. And it’s a winner that belongs in the same company as another genre-enhancing record that came out earlier this year: the self-titled effort by Texas newcomers Bleed. And, in classic alt-rock fashion, the musicians behind the material tend to be inwardly focused, creating a distance between themselves and the audience so they could remain true to their artistic integrity, let their art speak for itself, and maintain some semblance of privacy.
Also impressive is that Keep released Almost Static on their own, which the band also did with 2017’s For Your Joy (sandwiched between that album and Almost Static was 2023’s Happy in Here, released via Honey Suckle Sound). It’s perhaps no coincidence that, with Keep essentially left to their own devices again, Almost Static exudes a sense of freedom in the band’s performances, and ease in their artistic expression, that they haven’t exhibited for years. There’s really no doubt about it: Almost Static is a keeper.
