Destruction Unit – “Sonic Pearl”

I tend to associate Sacred Bones Records with spare, cold post-punk/electronic/noise — Pharmakon, Vår, Lust For Youth, Cult Of Youth … even Zola Jesus, really — but Arizona’s Destruction Unit don’t quite fit that description, even though they do fit pretty nicely on the Sacred Bones roster. Destruction Unit are basically a roots-based rock band whose hook-heavy psychedelic songs are delivered through terrifying feedback squalls and (presumably) several dozen cheap/broken effects pedals. Their closest Sacred Bones analogue is probably the Men, which especially makes sense, as Destruction Unit’s forthcoming Sacred Bones debut, Deep Trip (which follows a handful of limited-run releases), was recorded and mastered by a bunch of dudes also associated with the Men, including that band’s bassist/vocalist, Ben Greenberg, and their longtime engineers, Kyle Keays-Hagerman and Josh Bonati, along with Kris Lapke of Hospital Productions (at least half of whose output seems suited to Sacred Bones, too). Right now, Destruction Unit are out on tour with Milk Music and Merchandise, which is a pretty incredible bill, one of those things you’ll probably be bragging about having attended (or wishing you had attended) in two or three years. Also prior to the release of Deep Trip, Destruction Unit will drop a 7″ via the Suicide Squeeze Records Singles Series, called Two Strong Hits. That record’s A-side, “Sonic Pearl,” has been paired with a video, which we’ve got for you today. Not much happens in the “Sonic Pearl” clip: A bunch of dudes wander around the wilderness, barely visible through the warped-VHS-quality video and the blinding sun on the horizon. But the visual component strongly reflects Destruction Unit’s sound.