Stream: Beware of Darkness, ‘Dope’

Kevin Bronson on June 27th, 2016

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Beware of Darkness (Photo by Cara Robbins)

When we last heard from Beware of Darkness, it was early 2015 and singer-shredder Kyle Nicolaides was in the middle of a massive existential crisis, seemingly so apoplectic he didn’t know where his next riff was coming from. But like many who feel they’ve hit rock bottom, Nicolaides has plumbed the depths for new music. Last week, Beware of Darkness announced that their second album “Are You Real?” would be out Sept. 16 via Bright Antenna Records. Produced by Catherine Marks (Wolf Alice, Foals) and Jim Kaufman (ANTI-FLAG), the album is the follow-up to the debut “Orthodox,” released in 2013.

On the second teaser single, the not-FM-radio-ready “Muthafucka,” Nicolaides sounds as if he’s trying to turn the page — “there is no past me,” he sings, contradicting it seconds later by declaring “I’m back.” Less confusing is the well-worn riffage at which Nicolaides excels; past, present or future, his guitar work rings loud and clear. “We all have different seasons in our life,” he says of the song. “‘Muthafucka’ is a song about ending a particularly harrowing season of your life, and vowing that you’ll never, ever go back there.” OK. If it sounds easier to just focus on girls, then the first single “Dope” might be your thing — it chugs along on pure testosterone and settles into a nice groove.

||| Stream: “Dope”