Song debut: Tiger Flowers - "Batesian Mimicry"

Playing in a band involves a lot of frustrating logistical issues, but the delay between recording a new album and releasing it might be the most grating of the bunch. If you’re a musician who’s happy with the music he or she just recorded, your first instinct is to share it with the world as quickly and aggressively as possible. The psychic consequences of not being allowed to do so are akin to constipation.

New York City’s Tiger Flowers must feel relieved. This band has been together for over five years, but despite a lengthy live history that includes several tours and countless local appearances, they have just a single EP (released in 2011) to their name. Dead Hymns, their upcoming full-length debut, will have been complete for almost a year when it comes out on April 6 — it took them several months to line up a deal with Melotov Records, who in turn needed a few months to put together the release. That’s a long time to hold it in, but their wait is nearly over.

This is actually the second song debut from Dead Hymns; the first came months ago, during the summer of 2013. (You can watch the amusing music video for that song below.) “Batesian Mimicry” is a more complete showcase for their talents, though. I’d be hard-pressed to ignore this band thanks to sheer proximity, but they also play a style that’s near and dear to my heart: turn-of-the-aughts-style noisy metalcore. Coalesce are their most obvious reference point, but that comparison doesn’t tell the whole story; Tiger Flowers are less noodly and more terse, which means that you stand a good chance of headbanging to their music the right way on the first try. The band know this fact and make use of it. Like any good metallic hardcore band, they’ve got a knack for setting up huge slowdowns with dramatic pauses — in “Batesian Mimicry,” the band pull the rug out from beneath you about a minute into the track. The sequence of slamming grooves that follows is worth the long wait.

Tiger Flowers are also touring the Northeast in support of Dead Hymns. Their announced dates are below.

— Doug Moore

Tiger Flowers tour dates:
April 4 – Newburgh, NY @ The Wherehouse
April 5 – Potsdam, NY @ Hurley’s
April 6 – Rochester, NY @ Firehouse Saloon
April 7 – Akron, OH @ Old Haunts
April 8 – Dayton, OH @ Blind Bob’s
April 9 – Chillicothe, OH @ Tecumseh Inn
April 10 – Parkersburg, WV @ 5th Street Pub
April 11 – Baltimore, MD @ Charm City Arts Space
April 12 – Brooklyn, NY @ The Gutter