New album by indie band burns with rage

WHEN the haze last year lingered longer than usual, the choking heat - among other things - fired up The Observatory to react to it.

The results can be heard in the local indie band's latest work August is the Cruellest, released on Leap Day last month. Its cover artwork features a smoky, burning forest and the opening title track sets the tone with its raging guitar riffs and crashing drums.

The defiant wall of noise marks a return to the raw experimental rock of their previous album Oscilla (2014).