Arms & Armour Record in a 140-Year-Old Drill Bit Factory and “Chafe” Sounds Exactly Like That

Lauren Voss and John Panza have been operating as Arms & Armour out of Cleveland for fifteen years, recording in a studio housed in a 140-year-old drill bit factory and playing shows across every conceivable genre bracket from acoustic to death metal. Their debut full-length The Hunted arrives September 4 on Sweet Cheetah Records, and lead single “Chafe” is the introduction: a doom wash of guttural guitar groans, synth colorations, drone, and repetitive drums that sits somewhere between Chelsea Wolfe, Swans, and Portishead without sounding quite like any of them.

The record was engineered, mixed, and produced by the duo themselves at Dark Current in Cleveland, mastered by Brad Boatright at Audiosiege in Portland. Dan Boeckner (Wolf Parade, Arcade Fire) guests on guitar throughout the album and appears on “Chafe.” Krissy Brannan contributes viola. The album also features a cover of Low’s “Everybody’s Song,” which is either a bold move or the most logical thing Arms & Armour could do, depending on how you hear them. Either way, “Chafe” makes a strong case for both the band and the record.

Order The Hunted at Bandcamp ↗