Krill, Big Ups, Unholy Strength

Krill is a trio from Jamaica Plain, who play off-kilter little songs about dogs, spirit(s), and dogspirits. They aren't very tall, so don't expect anyone very tall.


Brendan Finn, Joe Galarraga, Amar Lal, and Carlos Salguero Jr. met whilst learning about specifications of Cat 5 cables in New York City. Shortly after, they formed a band. Big Ups – since 2010 – blend punk, post-punk, metal, and indie rock into a salty mash that gets stuck to the roof of your mouth. At their brightest, they have been likened to The Descendents, but at their sludgiest, they call to mind bands like Pissed Jeans and The Jesus Lizard.

In January 2014, Big Ups released their debut 11-track LP, Eighteen Hours of Static (Dead Labour/Tough Love Records). The record was recorded by Charles DeChants in the rock 'n' roll labyrinth known as Excello Recording in Brooklyn over three days. The album highlights Big Ups' depressive mood swings. The band slows their usual frantic pace on the burner "Wool" – a song about dealing with suffering. They toy with dynamics on aggressive tracks like "TMI", "Little Kid", and "Fresh Meat". But not to worry – the mania is still there; songs like "Goes Black" and "Atheist Self-Help" demand attention with their sneering guitars and colossal drums. Lyrically, the album is a meditation on subjects like truth, faith, and science (the record's title is a reference to Carl Sagan's Contact), but admittedly, Big Ups doesn't necessarily have all of the answers. "Justice" ends with the lines "I know there's a better way, but I just can't say what will make it okay".