Ego
Ego-ism
Hailing from Berlin and featuring Nesha from Doomsday Graphics on vocals this will be remembered as one of the few good things that happened during the pandemic. The physical version of 'Ego-ism' is billed as a demo on their band's Bandcamp page, but with ten very lengthy tracks, 'Ego-ism' is longer and more ambitious than most current punk and hardcore bands' full-lengths. The sound is gruff and heavy (particularly the vocals, which are growling and intense), but the music is adventurous, working in elements of shoegaze and darkwave around the edges. Take the track 'Dekadent,' which borrows moves from Bauhaus and Skeletal Family, but then Ego snaps right back into d-beat with 'Ljudi.' 300 copies pressed.