I recently finished a 2+ year stint as head music director for a college radio station, and the experience was slowly souring my passion for rock/punk/indie, even of the DIY variety. Dealing with the sheer quantity of attention-starved artists and their publicists brought about a twofold process: the development of a more open-mind for ‘pop’ idioms and acceptance of an even broader range of styles than I was already attuned to, and then a steady increase in jadedness over time. My ear patience eroded, and the endless stream of trendy or ‘edgy’ post-punk bands fostered skepticism of the entire punk ilk. I was pushed further towards a preference for free jazz, primordial folk, blues, and country, or best of all, ambient: the near absence of music. Special Interest restores the faith, proving there is still limitless potential in ‘punk’ as a vehicle for unbridled expression; a chance for what society would sugar-coat or sweep under the rug to be rubbed in in the public face. And perhaps now the true power of punk is just unfolding, as genre lines become increasingly blurred and the straight white cis male stranglehold gradually subsides. To be sure this group stretches the definition of punk, but the apocalyptic no wave rave on offer here is undeniably in the tradition of the grand 3-chord shit-disturbers of yore, even if the instrumentation is unconventional and the arrangements skew towards restless experimentation.

I find the most vital and enduring music can often only be described with impossible contradictions. By that token, Special Interest craft a sound that is frantic and precise, punishing yet empowering, steamy and chilling, arousing and acerbic, dark and uplifting, humorous yet deadly fucking serious. After ‘Drama’ briefly builds tension, the pummeling beat of ‘Disco III’ immediately demands submission as Alli Logout’s powerful presence takes command of the cacophony, with vocal delivery that is utterly vicious and delicious. Apparently there are glam influences to account for, but by my analysis what’s on offer here is largely an amalgam of the avant-antagonism of Throbbing Gristle, the anarcho-attack of Crass, the abrasive post-hardcore noise of Big Black and synth/guitar leads that bring Francis Bebey into conversation with DNA. The Passion of delivers all-consuming soundscapes, more expansive than their previous releases. ‘Homogenized Milk’, the most blatantly political track, invokes shivers as a quintessential post-structuralist punk statement of our era, juxtaposing gentrification and genocide. The walls continue to close in and there’s no escaping, but at least Special Interest sound them out so you might know where to push back.

P.S.(A): a remix version is out Jan. 2021 on 12” maxi and digital, featuring the likes of Boy Harsher and DJ Haram - “all proceeds go to House of Tulip (houseoftulip.org), which was co-founded and is currently co-led by two Black transgender women. House of Tulip provides trans and gender-nonconforming communities in New Orleans with economic stability and safety through zero barrier permanent housing and pathways to education, healthcare, employment, and homeownership” (https://specialinterestno.bandcamp.com/).

- Zakary Slax